Some of my favorite books available on Kindle Unlimited:

They Mostly Come Out At Night and Where the Waters Turn Black by Benedict Patrick

Paternus by Dyrk Ashton

Danse Macabre by Laura M. Hughes

The Half Killed by Quenby Olson

A Star Reckoners Lot by Darrell Drake

Sufficiently Advanced Magic by Andrew Rowe

Jaeth's Eye by K. S. Villoso


Here are some that I haven't read, but have heard mostly positive things about:

The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes

Revenant Winds by Mitchell Hogan

Ghosts of Tomorrow by Michael R Fletcher

A Warrior's Path by Davis Ashura

Valley of Embers by Steven Kelliher

Faithless by Graham Austin-King. He also has another series, The Riven Wyrde Saga, beginning with Fae - The Wild Hunt

Ours is the Storm by D. Thourson Palmer

Path of Man by Matt Moss

Threat of Madness by D.K. Holmberg

To Whatever End by Claire Frank

House of Blades by Will Wight

Path of Flames by Phil Tucker

The Woven Ring by M. D. Presley

Awaken Online: Catharsis by Travis Bagwell

Wolf of the North by Duncan M. Hamilton

Free the Darkness by Kel Kade

The Cycle of Arawn Trilogy by Edward W. Robinson

Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw

Benjamim Ashwood by AC Cobble

The Crimson Queen by Alec Hutson

The Queens Poinsoner by Jeff Wheeler

Stiger's Tigers by Marc Alan Edelheit 

Rise of the Ranger by Philip C. Quaintrell 

Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron

Devil's Night Dawning by Damien Black


Here are some older fantasy and sci-fi books that I enjoyed:

Tales of Nevèrÿon by Samuel R. Delany - African inspired S&S by an extremely talented writer.

Witch World as well as other good books by Andre Norton

Swords and Deviltry The first volume of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser by Fritz Leiber - Many of the tropes of the rogue/thief came from this legendary duo created by Leiber. And it's worth noting that Leiber actually coined the term Sword & Sorcery. This collection contains 3 stories, two average origin stories for each character and the final story is the Hugo and Nebula winning novella "Ill Met in Lankhmar" detailing the first meeting of Fafhrd and The Grey Mouser.

Swords Against Darkness - A '70s S&S anthology. It has few stinkers, a few mediocre stories, and a some really good ones. Poul Anderson and Ramsey Campbell both have awesome stories in this anthology that are well worth checking out. For some reason, there were quite a few typos in this book, it was slightly distracting, but may have been fixed since I read it.

The Best of C. L. Moore by C. L. Moore. I read this earlier this year and I absolutely loved it. The collection is all sci-fi and one Jirel of Joiry story, which is her famous female Sword & Sorcery character. I was suprised by how well her sci-fi stories held up, often times pulp sci-fi doesn't age well, but this collection was great. Moore was married to the writer Henry Kuttner, and up until his death they wrote a bunch of great stories together. Both of their collections are basically collaborations, although I'm sure a few stories were done solo. His collection The Best of Henry Kuttner features the short story that the movie The Last Mimzy was based on. And, if you are into the original Twilight Zone TV series there is a story that was adapted into a memorable season 1 episode entitled "What You Need". Kuttner and Moore are two of my favorite pulp authors and I'm not even that into science fiction, but I really enjoy their work.

This is an idea that is dear to my heart and I'm looking forward to running a pirate/naval adventure myself. I've got some inspiration ideas for you!

Books

These books should need no introduction. These are the books that will truly inspire your game.

• Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H. P. Lovecraft
  
• Eldritch Tales
  
• Conan the Barbarian - The Original, Unabridged Adventures of the World's Greatest Fantasy Hero
  
• Grimms Complete Fairy Tales
  
• Tales of Norse Mythology
  
• Iliad and Odyssey
  
  

  TV Shows
  

• Crossbones - This is one of the most underrated TV shows I've ever seen. It got canceled late in it's first season and so the finale was rushed, but despite that it's an amazing show. This show has political intrigue and adventure ideas abound. I'd argue it's damn near required viewing for running any sort of pirate campaign.
  
• Black Sails - This amazing show is written as a prequel to the novel, "Treasure Island". It follows Captain Flint, and a young John Silver as they attempt to make an "honest" living while preparing to thwart the predicted demise of piracy. Swashbuckling adventures, intrigue and more adventure ideas here than I can count. The show is a hell of a ride and I can guarantee you'll get plenty of ideas watching this one.
  
• Vikings - This show is the show that just keeps on giving. The first two or three episodes are a little slow to start, but you'll be on the edge of your seat every episode thereafter. While this show focuses on vikings, there's plenty here to inspire a pirate adventure. It will especially inspire the creation of your villains.
  
• The Musketeers - This isn't that terrible (and oh so amazing) Disney movie from the 90's. This show focuses on the Musketeers you know of, and the Musketeers as a military unit during that time period. If you're focusing on adventures during something similar to the golden age of piracy, you need to watch this show. One of my favorites.
  
  

  Tabletop Books
  

  
  

• The 7th Sea - I am not recommending this as the system you should use, I am recommending it strictly as inspiration for your setting. It easily has the most interesting setting I've ever seen and has some amazing ideas for adventures dealing with curses, the sidhe, naval campaigns, city adventures, etc. Whether this will be useful to you depends entirely on your setting. Are you playing D&D on the high seas? If so, this isn't going to be nearly as useful. Are you playing in a setting reminiscent of the golden age of piracy with some light magical touches (eldritch horrors in the deep sea, curses, magical fey creatures and low magic for the players)? If so, good lord is this book (and the Nations of Theah books) going to be useful to you.
  
• Razor Coast - If you're playing D&D on the high seas, this is the book for you. It's a sandbox setting with a ton of adventures and adventure seeds. It is expensive, but it's worth every penny. Highly recommended.
  
  I can't recommend all of this enough. A lot of this will give you ideas and inspiration for all of your campaigns, naval/pirate or otherwise. Have fun!

Obligatory wiki links: Dystopian Literature. Although, some of the titles listed don't seem to fit (The Dispossessed?). Nuclear holocaust fiction, and your general apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction.

Some of the better/more popular ones:

• Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang Kate Wilhelm.
  
  
• Eternity Road Jack McDevitt. Well written, but not very insightful.
  
  
• The Postman David Brin.
  
  
• Mockingbird Walter Tevis. Great read. Think Idiocracy, with a serious take. Humanity's totally run by robots, everyone's forgotten how to read and think for themselves, and the world population's dropped to almost nothing.
  
  
• We Yevgeny Zamyatin. The inspiration for George Orwell's 1984. Not the best read IMO, but some people claim it's better than 1984. It's possible I read a poor translation.
  
  
• Island Aldous Huxley. It's a utopian island surrounded by a dystopian world. Might not fit in this list, but it's a good read if you like Huxley. I think it was his last novel.
  
  
• 1984 George Orwell. One of my favorite novels. I have a bumper sticker with the quote "War is Peace, Ignorance is Strength, Freedom is Slavery", which is a slogan from the book. (Also, a sticker on my mirror with "Under the spreading chestnut tree, I sold you and you sold me"). The link points to Animal Farm and 1984.
  
  
• Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury. Another must read. Very well written, thought-provoking novel. Is it still required reading in schools?
  
  
• Earth Abides George Stewart.
  
  
• Alas, Babylon Pat Frank. Lucifer's Hammer Larry Niven/Jerry Pournelle. I'm grouping these two together because they're very similar, both in setting and politics. I didn't really enjoy either. The politics were not at all subtle, and the characters fit too neatly into stereotypes, and too obviously the writer's hero fantasy. Still, they're pretty popular, so try them out and feel free to disagree with me.
  
  
• Brave New World Aldous Huxley. Really just a utopia that's rough around the edges, if I'm remembering it correctly (also called an anti-utopia, thank you wikipedia). Another must read.
  
  
• A Canticle for Leibowitz Walter Miller.
  
  
• Memoirs Found in a Bathtub Stanislaw Lem. Another favorite. I once created a text adventure based on this book. It was about as frustrating as that Hitchhiker's Guide game.
  
  
• The Road Cormac McCarthy.
  
  
• Philip K. Dick It's hard to keep track of PKD's novels, but some of them are dystopian, all of them worth reading. Favorites: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (also known as/inspired Blade Runner), Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said, The Man in the High Castle.
  
  
• The Handmaid's Tale and Oryx and Crake Margaret Atwood.
  
  
• Y: The Last Man A graphical novel/comic collection. Decent art, great story.
  
  Zombies: World War Z, Raise the Dead, Marvel Zombies, Zombie Survival Guide, Day By Day Armageddon, I Am Legend.
  
  Also, just for kicks, some of my favorite dystopian movies:
  Brazil, Soylent Green, 12 Monkeys, Blade Runner, Akira, Children of Men, Dark City, A Boy and His Dog, Logan's Run, Idiocracy, Equillibrium.

My blue canary,

You were writing your in depth description as I was writing my greeting from Vallejo. :) Oh, your descriptions make me feel like a drive. You may have heard Poe's Hey Pretty at some point but there is a version with her brother (who wrote House Of Leaves ) reading a segment of his book about a woman driving on Mullholland Drive. This will have to be a My Addiction deal. Look it up under "Drive By 2001" Mix If you would like.

>Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

Delivered just like your "love, love, love", right?

So we parked in the garage at Anchorage shopping center right at Fisherman's Wharf. The professor decided he wanted to be sure of his lunch and chose to stop in at the Subway restaurant to get a picnic sandwich. Every instinct of mine revolted at the very thought of going to a Subway in The City! Couldn't we score countless hard to find treats by tripping over our own feet?! I tried to share this feeling, but it wasn't happening.

Since I was going to see, even a tiny bit, some of the most advanced race boats in the world today out racing and I would be doing so in

SAN

FRAN

CISCO,

where I've not been for far too long,

I'd already decided to go wherever the people with opinions and desires wanted to go for the race view, so instead of trying to locate something else for my own, different, edibles I decided to embrace the adventure, or lack of it as it presented itself. Tuna on "9-grain honey oat" with all the salad went into my backpack and away we went.

Right along Jefferson street realising I'd not done the wharf in many years. We walked through Aquatic park where I saw swimmers (I wonder if Annie has swum there?) and a woman carrying a camera (Annie told me about a day of taking pictures along this route-- oh! don't stare at this woman). Up to Fort Mason with us. I could have walked so much more today....

Anyway, I'm there watching the big cats prepare for the race and check reddit:

>At the end of the AC pier, looking toward you

That I would somehow be able to see the look on my own face when reading that line. Annie, I started and looked that direction! Turned out you'd written an hour before. It seemed unlikely that you would still be standing there.

To share even brief thoughts with you during the race was almost as good as sharing race with you directly. Sometimes I don't know if I let you know how good to me you are. To get your description of your experience over there photographing a boat, sharing your sense of it was another gift of smile for me!

You write while I'm composing this?!

>Okay, heading off into the water!

I've my own happy-overload over you getting out there in the water.

You say you won't be home until really late. Enjoy a gorgeous night drive, just do it defensively. I'm all selfish and want more of your time.

One note, spelled l-i-t-E

Edit: Repeated a reapeat thought thought

UGH I JUST REMEMBERED TO FINISH THIS BRB

EDIT: Okay here it izzzz.

These are the items you are looking for... (everything listed is from my wishlists here! )

1.) Something that is grey. – The bike lock on my wishlist (that was already gifted (: ) This one’s grey!

2.) Something reminiscent of rain. These leggings are Doctor Who Cosmic Tardis Leggings are cosmic… as in galaxy… as in the universe… in which there is a water cycle…. Which is reminiscent of rain…. Yup. ;)

3.) Something food related that is unusual. – It’s not every day you get to have jagermeister infused gummy bears....... Freaking nom.

4.) Something on your list that is for someone other than yourself. Tell me who it's for and why. (Yes, pets count!) – A dog bed for my puppy!! He really, really needs a new one.

5.) A book I should read! I am an avid reader, so take your best shot and tell me why I need to read it! – YOU NEED TO READ THE HOUSE OF LEAVES IT’S SO CRAZY AND I LOVE IT AND … AT SOME POINTS… YOU READ IT UPSIDE DOWN AND CRAZY AND INSIDE OUT AND OMFG WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING READING THIS GO READ THIS NOW

6.) An item that is less than a dollar, including shipping... that is not jewelry, nail polish, and or hair related! This with the value of 95 cents ;) hehehe I’m sneaky.

7.) Something related to cats. I love cats! (Keep this SFW; you know who you are...) -- This cat bed, even though I don’t have a cat, was on my puppy’s list! My puppy (who’s really a 9 year old dog but I call him puppy cause he looks/acts/is one) is a 6lb pup who’s basically a cat ;)

8.) Something that is not useful, but so beautiful you must have it. – The Chuck Complete Series Collector Blu-ray is not necessarily useful to my life…But the show’s so gorgeous, the cast so beautiful, the plot so delicious…I love it and need it! :P

9.) A movie everyone should watch at least once in their life. Why? – TANGLED!! (OK, one of the only movie related pieces on my list :P) But really, Tangled is PERFECT, SO adorable, a real winner.

10.) Something that would be useful when the zombies attack. Explain. – Okay this may seem crazy but stick with me here. these bones would be super helpful once whittled down. You could use it to double tap those stanky ass zombies

11.) Something that would have a profound impact on your life and help you to achieve your current goals. I have lots of stuff for fitness and school and all my goals likes that, but I thought I'd use something a little different for this one. This skin corrective cream would allow me to cover up my stupid little burn marks on my leg that make me really self conscious in skirts and shorts. This would be a good step in my goal of being happy with myself and gaining self confidence for the first time in my life.

12.) One of those pesky Add-On items.– One of those pesky add-ons… The MSC Joie Simply Slice Strawberry Slicer on my WL is one of them pesky add-ons.

13.) The most expensive thing on your list. Your dream item, why? – A Bike. Why? Mine was stolen and its extremely hindered my mobility as I need it for transportation to school /:

14.) Something bigger than a bread box. – The puppy bed on my puppy’s wishlist within my own wishlist is most definitely bigger than a breadbox.

15.) Something smaller than a golf ball. -- These cable organizers HOLLAH at me, Tiger Woods.

16.) Something that smells wonderful. -- French Vanilla Green Mountain Coffee Portion Packs for Keurig Mmmmmmmmm, delicious.

17.) A (SFW) toy. -- Crock Pot COOKING IS LIFE AND HAVING A CROCK POT WOULD BE THE BEST OF TOYS. For something more traditional, I have hedgehog toys etc on my puppy's list.

18.) Something that would be helpful for going back to school. -- This beautiful backpack! Mine is shot to hell and I'm dreading buying a new one.

19.) Something related to your current obsession, whatever that may be. This Friends Milkshake Poster Print from my wishlist OMFG I AM OBSESSED WITH FRIENDS RIGHT NOW. IDK WHY BUT I AM. Also with the Chuck DVD on my dreams list xD

20.) Something that is just so amazing and awe-inspiring that I simply must see it. Explain why it is so grand.– The New York Window Print Poster on my wishlist is pretty awe-inspiring. Looking into the city "where dreams are made of" in whatever town your in.... In a place that's essentially the culmination of all your dreams and desires.... At least for me.

-------

BONUS ITEMS

1. [YOUR NAME IS……]() Amirite?! actually... I've messaged so many people trying to figure it out, and I could've sworn I knew it before, but I absolutely cannot remember it.
   
   
2. And this handwarmer mug – OCEAN TIDE was made in Milton, Oregon! This ones not on my WL however.
   
   Finally, some people say that fear cuts deeper than swords but does it? Who knows.

Points Tally Complete for TheO-ne-ders

4 - So what you are saying, is your boyfriend needs a sippy cup? lol

5 - Have you read Lamb? If not, you should. It is amazing.

6 - Counting this as valid, but not too clever as many people came to the same conclusion. Although I suppose that doesn't negate the original cleverness.

7 - I kid you not, this exact Beany Babie is sitting no less than five feet away from me. :)

11 - I know that feel. For a long time my main goal in life was to be able to fill my cart at the grocery store without have to count every single penny. It took time and effort but we are finally there. Hoping you get there soon as well.

13 - Are you sure you aren't me from the past? I was so excited when we finally got a good HEPA vacuum cleaner.

14 - And it's Prime eligible!

17 - Video Games are absolutely toys! And this one is sooo good!

18 - Hard to argue with a classic.

20 - The only way I grill. :)

Oregon Bonus - Marionberry jam is very tasty. I can vouch for the tastiness of this brand. My parent's get their CSA box from this family.

So glad you had fun filling this out, as I had fun reading your answers. :) I will update the original post as soon as I have a winner.

Jorg Ancrath in Prince of Thorns is an awesome anti-hero. Just a warning though, Jorg is an extremely dark anti-hero. Some of it proved twisted enough to turn some readers away, but I thought Prince of Thorns and its sequel King of Thorns were excellent, and the author is an active member in /r/fantasy.

I also feel I should mention Thomas Covenant, in the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever. Thomas is a very unique anti-hero, in that for a good portion of the story he is flat out unlikable. He is not nearly as dark as Jorg (who I mentioned before), but I always felt Jorg was a badass while Thomas Covenant is flat out infuriating.

Having a protagonist that you aren't supposed to like or even really relate to is a very interesting dynamic in a story, and coupled with some very good writing and one of the most vibrant fantasy worlds makes Thomas Covenant some of the best fantasy I have ever read. The first two trilogies are very good, and the sixth book (White Gold Wielder) makes for me a very strong argument for greatest fantasy novel of all time

Among Others by Jo Walton

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

I think the Dark Tower series is a must read. It starts off with The Gunslinger and continues. I think it is the best series I have ever read.

If you want to look other than fantasy/sci-fi...

Lamb by Christopher Moore is very funny, makes you think, and breaks your heart. I love it.

A Prayer for Owen Meany is one of my favorite books ever written. Everyone that I have given this book to has read it and bought it for someone else to read.

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins is Tom Robbins at his best. It's also one of the most polarizing books I have suggested to friends and people online. You will either love it and buy the rest of Tom Robbins's books or you will hate it and never listen to me again. I hope it's the first reaction.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an amazing book about life in high school. I haven't seen the movie yet because I enjoy this book so much that I don't want to get pissed off at a director ruining one of my favorite books.

Good Omens by Pratchett/Gaiman is certainly a pretty rockin book.

Hopefully this helps you find some new authors to enjoy!

Edited for: I will never forgive myself if I don't put in what I consider one of the best fantasy coming of age stories ever. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is the first of the series. Read it. Do it!

She probably has all of the books you've mentioned if she really likes them, bookish people usually do... A special edition might be an idea, but I won't be able to help you with that, I go for cheap paperbacks due to money ;)

I'm tempted to recommend "We" by Yevgeny Zamyatin, it's not sci-fi classic per se, but it's a dystopian classic, she would probably like it if she likes Brave New World, but again, she might already have it. Still I'm sure she'd be thrilled to get a thoughtful thank you gift from you, even if she's read it before or even has a copy... Here's a link to that book on amazon, if you want to have a look: amazon link

If she does like classic sci-fi, here are some old-school, hard sci-fi (but it's not all just spaceships and aliens) that she might enjoy and possibly even not have, since a couple of the authors aren't from English speaking countries:

• Stanislaw Lem "Solaris" amazon link
  
• Arkady and Boris Strugatsky "Roadside Picnic" amazon link
  
• Artur C. Clarke "Childhood's End" amazon link
  
• Walter M. Miller Jr. "A Canticle for Leibowitz" amazon link

Read Good Omens!
READ GOOD OMENS!

R
E
A
D

G
O
O
D

O
M
E
N
S

It's lol funny, one of the best satires ever written, and perfect in every way. Coincidentally it has been on my wl since day one!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0060853980/ref=aw_ls_4_3?colid=15LG4DO389H4A&coliid=IW2E51PZ2BYQD

Read Good Omens!
READ GOOD OMENS
Read Good Omens!
READ GOOD OMENS
Read Good Omens!
READ GOOD OMENS
Read Good Omens!
READ GOOD OMENS
Read Good Omens!
READ GOOD OMENS
Read Good Omens!
READ GOOD OMENS
Read Good Omens!
READ GOOD OMENS

A Quote:

She was beautiful, but she was beautiful in the way a forest fire was beautiful: something to be admired from a distance, not up close.

My go to recommendation is typically either "Machine of Death: A Collection of Stories About People Who Know How They Will Die" or "This Is How You Die: Stories of the Inscrutable, Infallible, Inescapable Machine of Death". They are both collections of short stories with one simple premise in common. There is a machine that exists that will without fail tell you with 100% accuracy how you are going to die. However, the machine can be cryptic, vague or anything in between. It could say "Old Age" and you'd assume that you, a 22 year old person, are good to do whatever you want danger wise until you're super old. But that same 22 year old could be walking down the sidewalk after getting their diagnosis from the machine and be hit a by car... being driven by a very old person. THEIR old age is what killed you. Or maybe you survive the accident but are left brain dead and your family refuses to pull the plug, so you outlive all of them and end up dying naturally of old age, having spent the last seventy years of your life trapped inside your own body. They are an incredibly varied series, ranging from sci-fi to horror to comedy to mystery. They are some of my favorite books.

​

So that's two. Let's think of three more.

​

Next up is "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal" by Christopher Moore. It's a new (clearly fictionalized) testament that chronicles the early life of the Son of God that are missing from the Bible. Who tells it? Why none other than Biff, Christ's childhood best friend who was purposely omitted from said good book for being a bit of a jerk. He has been resurrected by some angels and tasked with telling the world about the lost years of his best buddy's life. Biff and Josh get into all sorts of foibles, from reanimating dead bugs as children to scare the bullies in their village to learning martial arts from monks to teaching an elephant yoga to falling in love with the same woman. It's hilarious, and beautiful. Be you a believer or not, it's a great read. I'm an atheist and I was recommended the book by my best friend who is a minister more than a decade ago.

​

Now let's talk about "Lucky Bastard" by S.G. Browne. This book is about a private detective with a special ability: he can steal another person's luck, good or bad. He then can quite literally bottle and sell this to the highest bidder. He's been out of the Luck Poaching game for some time, but his past has finally caught up with him. He's offered a huge payday to steal back the mayor's stolen luck, and he's hurting for the cash. Our detective friend spends a lot of time and money at Starbucks, and $100,000 will buy a lot of lattes. Not to mention the job is offered to him by a beautiful, mysterious woman who he might just want to take the job in order to be closer to. The book is very funny, extremely tense and has tons of twists and turns. I discovered the author by accident when I picked up another book by him at the airport nearly ten years just to have something to read during a delay. I loved it so much that I wrote to him and he sent me an advanced copy of his (then) upcoming novel, and we've become casual friends online. He's a great guy and his stuff is a lot of fun.

​

The last book on my list is "House of Leaves" by Mark Z. Danielewski. There is almost no way to explain this book because it's so many different stories wrapped in a ton of layers, but I'll give it a go. At it's core, a man who was loosely acquainted with a blind older gentlemen checks out his apartment after the old man's death and finds endless notebooks, manuscripts and stories. These stories are all related to a video tape that is the stuff of legends. In that video tape is footage of a videographer who was filming his new home and family for months. He slowly starts to realize that his house is very slightly larger on the inside than it is on the outside. Then a tiny room appears between the master bedroom and his child's bedroom. Then a door appears on his living room wall, which when opened leads to an entirely black room with a spiral staircase leading down. He puts a team together and leads an expedition into this black room to figure out what's going on. Now, those are the BASICS of this book. It's a really trippy experience. There are some pages with only one word on them, some pages where the text is oriented in different directions, some pages just contain sheet music. The book is full of source notes and references, but none of them notate or reference anything that actually exists. In fact, Mark Z. Danielweski doesn't even exist. It's a pen name, a character in itself. The whole experience is insane. I've bought so many copies of this book for people. It's probably the gift I've given most often in my life, other than the gift of laughter.

I had the most wonderful time at school! This is a super random memory that just came to me. I'm not sure what grade I was in, but during math one day we all had to solve a math problem individually. After everyone finished, the teacher gave us a few choices and asked us to raise our hands when she read off the answer that we got. When she said my answer I was literally the only person that raised my hand. Guess who got that question right - me! Seriously my greatest achievement during a math class. :)

Good luck with your next year of school and have fun!!

I would love a copy of House of Leaves if I win! You have to read textbooks at school, but you can read fun books at home!

I'm going to interpret your question a little bit differently and provide some books that are not directly RPG related but will help you to be a better role-player or Game Master. Then, I will finish off with some more RPG specific suggestions.

The essential reads are the following:

• All of HP Lovecraft
  
• Anything you can read from Tolkien
  
• Robert E. Howards stories about Conan the Cimmerian
  
• Fantasy/Sci-Fi Art Collections (subjective based upon the styles that inspire you and that reflect your campaigns)
  
• Collections of Legend or Mythology
  
• A book or two about acting and/or improvisation, I recommend Impro: Improvisation and the Theater
  
  For GM-specific materials, I really love the spirit conveyed by Dungeon World and Fate Core (and the Fate System Toolkit for that matter). If you learn nothing else from Dungeon World, learn the GM principles and how to set up Fronts. Fronts (or something similar) are the way you should be preparing as a GM that very few other books convey. The Alexandrian has a lot of amazing materials. I know that Play Unsafe was recommended here, but it was a little short and basic for my taste... much of the same principles will be covered by reading the other recommended texts in my post. If you absolutely must learn about improvisation as a skill in and of itself, read Impro. The author of Play Unsafe drew heavily from this text and most of the truly unique ideas can be found within Impro.

1. Blue Because this is all I could think about after reading #1
   
   

2. Summer Accessories bc this would be Awesome at the beach, and I hear they work great!
   
   
3. Weird food related items items. Not sure I'd be able to actually consume these without vomiting lol.
   
   
4. Id gift this for my daughter, bc she is the ultimate FNAF fan and 6 years old, and it's one of the only 3 she doesn't own for her plush collection.
   
   
5. House of Leavess my ultimate favorite book, and I push it on everyone I know that loves reading. Although intimidating, the format is awesome and original, and mimics the way we Google and use the internet for constant reference. Plus the codes are siiiick.
   
   
6. This is less than a dollar and ADORABLE
   
   
7. This looks like a rad dog toy, whilst simultaneously resembling a sexy toy too lol
   
   
8. This is so expensive and impractical but I would live in this thing!
   
   
9. Vanilla Skywas a movie that really spoke to me as a teenager. If you don't like your reality, change it- just, errrr, mayne not the way Tom Cruise does. Also the mostly Radiohead soundtrack kicks ass.
   
   
10. A katana would obviously trump guns in the zombie apocalypse- you'd eventually run out of bullets, and this baby is the most expensive Amazon's got, so I'd hope youd get quality.
    
    
11. Microsoft Office would help me out. I'm an aspiring writer, but using an offbrand, free version that doesn't work makes writing a nit more tedious and difficult-even spellcheck doesn't work!
    
    
12. Annoying add-on bc a girl can never have too many of these, amirite?
    
    
13. FNAF is as close to fandom as I get. My kid is obsessed, therefore I am obsessed, and I'm not into sports :(
    
    
14. This watch popped up after seeking the most expensive item on Amazon, although it doesn't seem justified lol.
    
    
15. I Chose BOTH a shark & unicorn !
    
    
16. Thierry Mugler Angel smells great- I had to ask a customer what she used bc I wanted to eat her flesh when she walked past me.
    
    
17. Teddy Ruxpin was so 90's- we put our fave cassettes in and hed seemingly sing along
    
    
18. The Artist's Way
    by Julia Cameron is one of my favorite books on creative unblocking for both writers AND artists! I go back to it whenever Im in a slump!
    
    
19. This tote file would be totes cool bc Im obsessed with organizing!
    
    
20. This coloring book about farts? Ridiculous and fun. Id likely make ea fart a different color lol.

Happy birthday! I hope you've been having a fantastic day!

I have so many books on my wish lists, it's hard for me to pick just one, but I can narrow it down to the top 3 I've really been wanting to read:

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

I love Norse mythology, history, language, religion and learning more about it, and from what I've read of Gaiman's, I enjoy his writing style.

S. / Ship of Theseus by Doug Dorst and J.J. Abrams

From the reviews it seems like a great book. There's the book Ship of Theseus, but in the margins and inserts there's a whole different story between two people trying discover the identity of the author of Ship of Theseus. It just looks like a fun book.

House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski

Another book I've heard great things about. I've heard it can be a difficult read with the unconventional format and footnotes etc.. But that just makes me want to read it even more.

All 3 are on my Most Wanted list.


Thanks for the contest!

I cheated and picked three...I couldn't stop I'm sorry, please forgive me.

1. Dr. Sleep - I picked this one because it is on your wishlist and I have been dying to read it, so I decided you must be also
   
   
2. John Dies at the End - Another one from your wishlist. This one I picked because it is odd, wonky, weird, and wonderful. After stalking you a little, mostly I mean looking at what you have on your wishlists and seeing that we have a lot of common interests I really think you would like this one.
   
   
3. Fooling Houdini - This one was not on your wishlist, but like I said above we do have a fair number of common interests I believe. I have been recommending this book since I read it because I loved it. It is a fantastic mix of psychology, magic, logic, awesomeness, and humor. It was a fast read for me and I found it thoroughly enjoyable and made me want to research more into things he mentioned.
   
   Have fun on your trip! Hope you find a fantastic book to get you through the flight!

This is my intro. I have gifted :)

I have two fave books! My first is House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski. I can't really do it justice in a summary. It is about a guy named Johnny who finds a trunk full of paper scraps that belonged to an old man that died, and puts them together into a book. That book is about a family who moves into a new house, which is bigger on the inside (like the tardis, but scary). As the people explore the mysterious hallways in the house, Johnny reads/edits the book, and everyone goes a bit crazy. As you read the book, the actual text makes you feel like you're going crazy with them. It's a hard read, but it's great! The only book that has ever creeped me out. :)

My other fave is Pride and Prejudice. I imagine I don't have to summarize it, but I will. Elizabeth Bennet is the second of 5 sisters who aren't rich. Since respectable women could only make lives for themselves by marrying well, that is the obsession of their mother, Mrs. Bennet. A rich young man named Bingley moves into town, and with him comes his proud, disagreeable, and even more rich friend Darcy. Elizabeth, who thinks pretty highly of herself as well, decides she hates Darcy right away because he is such a jerk, and hijinx ensue. Jane Austen is the master of poking fun at the social interactions of the time, and the dialogue makes me laugh out loud each time I read it (especially Mr Collins).

I really hope your Gram's surgery is quick and painless, and she has a quick recovery. <3

First, I don't really recommend mass market paperbacks, get a trade if you can, they're much more comfortable to read. The collections published by Del Rey are really good, and you can know you have some continuity (and aren't buying the same stories) because all the covers are works of either HR Geiger or the Polish (or Hungarian?) surrealist whose name escapes me. I can't remember if these are only HP Lovecraft or if they also include Clark Ashton Smith, August Derleth, and his other contemporaries. Purists detest Derleth because he took the Mythos in his own direction, but his stories are still very good, very different from Lovecraft (which is refreshing when it comes to his proteges and colleagues), and without his work none of Lovecraft's stories would've survived into today--he founded Arkham House dedicated to publishing all Cthulhu Mythos stories.

The Penguin Classics collections are really nice as well.

An individual book that I cannot recommend more is this one. It is a Barnes & Noble collection of Lovecraft's Dream Cycle stories, they are much longer (novella-length), very involved, and have a whole mythology unto their own. The scenery and Lovecraft's descriptions of the dreamlands and Antarctic wastes are so engrossing, haunting, and yet beautiful, it is difficult to put down. I have read very few stories with such intensely vivid imagery, and his dream cycle stories do not disappoint.

As a fellow Lovecraft fanboy, welcome to a literary world that will consume you. If you are interested, one of my firsts forays into Lovecraftian literature was The Colour Out of Space, which somehow made me physically ill while I read it one morning as a young kid (I was probably 14 at the time, spending a summer with my dad and I was regularly up till 4 or 5 am reading Lovecraft's stories and playing the wonderful MUD over telnet).

Here is a link to an online collection of Lovecraft's work. I, too, prefer books to reading online, so I completely understand.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore. I just finished this book, and it is probably the funniest book I've ever read (and I'm saying this after having read Hitchhikers, a lot of Vonnegut and Confederacy of Dunces).

I don't know your religious background, but I have confidence that whether you are a Jew, Christian, or atheist/agnostic, you will really enjoy this book (if you're none of those, you may miss some references). It's like Hitchhiker's Guide for the ancient world, with a little of Herman Hesse's Siddhartha (also a good read) mixed in.

Also, John Dies at the End by David Wong is great if you like action/sci-fi/horror but want a lot of comedy mixed in. It was the first comedy book I've read that really felt like it was written by someone from my generation (I'm in my early 20s). Wong is one of the editors of cracked and definitely has the internet-age nerdy pop-culture sense of humor that pervades reddit.

Book:

Blindsight + Echopraxia by Peter Watts!

Deep, dark, Sci-fi. The only two books that I've ever read more than once in a year. (Re-reading the two for a 4th time currently).

Snippet from amazon:

>^^Send ^^a ^^linguist ^^with ^^multiple-personality ^^disorder ^^and ^^a ^^biologist ^^so ^^spliced ^^with ^^machinery ^^that ^^he ^^can't ^^feel ^^his ^^own ^^flesh. ^^Send ^^a ^^pacifist ^^warrior ^^and ^^a ^^vampire ^^recalled ^^from ^^the ^^grave ^^by ^^the ^^voodoo ^^of ^^paleogenetics. ^^Send ^^a ^^man ^^with ^^half ^^his ^^mind ^^gone ^^since ^^childhood. ^^Send ^^them ^^to ^^the ^^edge ^^of ^^the ^^solar ^^system, ^^praying ^^you ^^can ^^trust ^^such ^^freaks ^^and ^^monsters ^^with ^^the ^^fate ^^of ^^a ^^world. ^^You ^^fear ^^they ^^may ^^be ^^more ^^alien ^^than ^^the ^^thing ^^they've ^^been ^^sent ^^to ^^find―but ^^you'd ^^give ^^anything ^^for ^^that ^^to ^^be ^^true, ^^if ^^you ^^knew ^^what ^^was ^^waiting ^^for ^^them. ^^. ^^. ^^.

They contain tons of memorable (and quotable) quotes, such as:

>^“Not ^even ^the ^most ^heavily-armed ^police ^state ^can ^exert ^brute ^force ^to ^all ^of ^its ^citizens ^all ^of ^the ^time. ^Meme ^management ^is ^so ^much ^subtler; ^the ^rose-tinted ^refraction ^of ^perceived ^reality, ^the ^contagious ^fear ^of ^threatening ^alternatives.”
^― ^Peter ^Watts, ^Blindsight

or...

>^“Fifty ^thousand ^years ^ago ^there ^were ^these ^three ^guys ^spread ^out ^across ^the ^plain ^and ^they ^each ^heard ^something ^rustling ^in ^the ^grass. ^The ^first ^one ^thought ^it ^was ^a ^tiger, ^and ^he ^ran ^like ^hell, ^and ^it ^was ^a ^tiger ^but ^the ^guy ^got ^away. ^The ^second ^one ^thought ^the ^rustling ^was ^a ^tiger ^and ^he ^ran ^like ^hell, ^but ^it ^was ^only ^the ^wind ^and ^his ^friends ^all ^laughed ^at ^him ^for ^being ^such ^a ^chickenshit. ^But ^the ^third ^guy ^thought ^it ^was ^only ^the ^wind, ^so ^he ^shrugged ^it ^off ^and ^the ^tiger ^had ^him ^for ^dinner. ^And ^the ^same ^thing ^happened ^a ^million ^times ^across ^ten ^thousand ^generations ^- ^and ^after ^a ^while ^everyone ^was ^seeing ^tigers ^in ^the ^grass ^even ^when ^there ^were`t ^any ^tigers, ^because ^even ^chickenshits ^have ^more ^kids ^than ^corpses ^do. ^And ^from ^those ^humble ^beginnings ^we ^learn ^to ^see ^faces ^in ^the ^clouds ^and ^portents ^in ^the ^stars, ^to ^see ^agency ^in ^randomness, ^because ^natural ^selection ^favours ^the ^paranoid. ^Even ^here ^in ^the ^21st ^century ^we ^can ^make ^people ^more ^honest ^just ^by ^scribbling ^a ^pair ^of ^eyes ^on ^the ^wall ^with ^a ^Sharpie. ^Even ^now ^we ^are ^wired ^to ^believe ^that ^unseen ^things ^are ^watching ^us.”
^― ^Peter ^Watts, ^Echopraxia

Or perhaps one that might resonate with many INTPs...

>^“I ^really ^wanted ^to ^talk ^to ^her.
^I ^just ^couldn't ^find ^an ^algorithm ^that ^fit.”
^― ^Peter ^Watts, ^Blindsight

In fact... Here is a repository of some fun Watts quotes. I have this page bookmarked since I read it so often. If any of these appeal to you, read the books! Blindsight is even free on his website.

_

Anime:

Shinsekai Yori (From the new world)

The link has a nice description, but the entry into this universe was a strange one for me. It starts as so calm and Utopian, but everyone has cool powers (which is based on science so advanced that it appears as magic)! More is revealed about the world, interesting details and insights, but eventually something dark is slowly realized. My favorite anime series of all time - With art design as beautiful as any Miyazaki film and a storyline as fascinating as a science fiction novel, I would recommend this to anyone.

_

Music:

Dryft - No vocals, but rich stories. Complex but ambient, like relaxing by a waterfall on an artificial habitat in outer space as you watch the stars through the dome above you.

Gender Identity Disorder is still listed in the DSM as a mental disorder. I think there are arguments to be made both ways about whether that's more a good thing or more a bad thing (realistically it's probably some of both).

As far as I understand, it's not at all a disorder in the sense that most psychological disorders are. The issue is that the "disorder" (the dysphoria - a sense of overwhelming wrongness and badness, contrast with "euphoria") is generally caused by a mismatch between a psychological property (the individual's gender) and a set of physical properties (the individual primary and/or secondary sex characteristics) as well as a social property (how the individual is seen and treated by society at large).

So, there is a disorder in the sense that, and to the extent that, this mismatch causes a great deal of suffering in someone's life. But let's take a hypothetical person who was assigned male at birth, who has a penis and male secondary sex characteristics, but who has a female gender. Again, the psychological component of this "disorder" is the female gender - but can we really call having a female gender a mental illness? (Of course, as sexist as our culture can be, perhaps some would like to.. but that's sort of tangential.) And the difference between this "disorder" and at least the vast majority of psychological disorders is that it is, I believe, largely fixable - my understanding is that most trans folks who transition experience are much, much happier afterward; the "disorder" is pretty much solved. And it's important to note that the fix for this is a physical fix, not a mental one - from what I've seen, if you asked most trans people "Hey, if you had a magic wand that would allow you to live your life comfortably as the gender you were assigned at birth, would you use it?" the most common answer would probably be something like "No - why would I want to change who I am?".

Further factors of course include the fact that "mental disorder" is a pretty stigmatizing term, and has a set of connotations that don't really make sense for this issue, and the history of access to hormones and surgery being contingent on the diagnoses of psychologists, some of whom would (and in some places still do) dick people around if they don't hear exactly the narrative they're expecting to hear. On the other hand, I've heard concerns voiced that were it removed from the DSM, it might be harder for trans individuals to get the treatments that they needed, for insurance reasons.

(You can read more on this subject here.)

> Anyway, I was hoping maybe someone could shed a light on what exactly it means to be a "girl" or a "boy"? Is it based on likes/interests/personality/tendencies? I mean, personhood is pretty hard to define already, so how do you define a female person?

That's a tough one to get at, because I think you pretty much have to rely on people's own self-reported experiences, and nobody can get at what other people's experiences are. I can't really answer this one clearly (shit, I'm struggling with my own gender identity as it is), but I can highly recommend to you, if you're interested in reading further on the subject, the book Whipping Girl by Julia Serano. It gets into a lot of stuff about trans issues, the way our culture defines and interacts with gender, the "scapegoating of femininity" (as she puts it), etc. It's also available in Kindle form if you want to pay a little bit less or if you're worried about people asking awkward questions about what you're reading (I read it on my phone, personally, for that reason).

> Will we eventually be recognizing people with multiple personality disorder as multiple people stuck in one body in society?

I doubt it. As far as I've heard, psychology in general isn't even really sure that Dissociative Identity Disorder is a thing at all - it's sort of elusive and hard to demonstrate, and some (maybe a lot?) of people who ostensibly had it turned out to be faking it (see Wikipedia).. On the other hand, if it is a legit thing? Yeah, I think that would be a fair way to treat it. (If that's a subject that interests you, and if you're into hard, gritty sci-fi, allow me to recommend Peter Watts's excellent book Blindsight, which features among other things a character who does indeed have multiple personalities, who are pretty much distinct people.)

I love my Kindle 3. The keyboard is super handy. I'm extremely prone to migraines, so while I still love physical copies of books, I can't read them in bright light or in the sun. The reflection triggers migraines 75% of the time.

It's nice to have options.

Every month Amazon lists 100 ebooks for 3.99 or less. Pretty much every month you can find winners there. This month there's "I Am Legend," "The Sirens of Titan," and "John Dies at the End" among others (I heartily recommend them ALL).

A great non-Kindle book is House of Leaves. Creepy and satisfying, that one.

Good luck with your Kindle endeavor!

Most of this is copypasta from another reply on this thread, since it seemed silly to just rephrase all the things. Please note the last paragraph if none of these seem fun. I read a lot, mostly exclusively SF/F (both adult and YA), and boy do I have opinions on it. And if you're not a reader starting with YA is a thought. There's a lot of fun, intelligent YA out there now as publishers realize teens don't actually want to be treated like they're stupid.

For a low commitment (i.e. not part of a series), humorous start there's Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaiman's Good Omens. I like a lot of Gaiman's work, which ranges from the strange and humorous (see: GO) to the strange and creepy (Anasazi Boys), but what I'd recommend from him depends on what you're looking for.

In the funny but harder scifi range I'd rec the beloved classic Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. This is seriously one of the wittiest books I've ever read besides being an action-packed scifi romp.

If you're interested in urban fantasy I have all the recs. Everything from Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series Book 1: Storm Front, for the grown-up wizard, to Seanan McGuire's October Daye series Book 1: Rosemary and Rue, if you're more into fae.

For the dark and more sexual (seriously, there is sex in these books) I highly recommend the Fever Series by Karen Moning, Book 1: Darkfever.

If you like SF/F books (like Discworld, Animorphs, etc.) let me know what subgenres (e.g. hard scifi, urban fantasy, urban scifi, fantasy romance, young adult _____ ) you think you might like and I guarantee you I have a recommendation or two. I read a lot.

China Miéville's Un Lun Dun. It's a kids' book, but it's fantastic. Miéville turns a lot of the standard fantasy tropes on their heads, with thoroughly enjoyable results.

Dathan Auerbach's Penpal. Horror/suspense, written by a redditor, and debuted on reddit. The Kindle version is less than $4. Seriously creepy but totally worth it.

Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens. I have never laughed so much while reading. It's phenomenal.

Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age. What happens to poor people once nanotechnology can be used to make anything? It's my favorite of the Stephensons I've read, but it still ends like a Neal Stephenson novel. :|

Cory Doctorow's Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town. It's about the first-born son of a mountain and a washing machine. It's also about setting up wireless networks. Also: it's FREE.

Hope you enjoy some of these! :)

Incoming wall of text! Sorry in advance, look at the bolded words to kind of do a TLDR of my reply :P

Read "Annihilation", the first book in the Southern Reach Trilogy, by Jeff VanderMeer. It'll ruin Tanis for you, because you'll see where they got a lot of their content from (to put it nicely).

The two last books in that series are okay, but I wasn't completely on board for them. Loved the first one, though. You could also just watch the movie version that's on Netflix, but know this: while well-made in some aspects, the director chose not to re-read the book OR read its sequels, so it diverges from the original book / book series quite a lot in some unfortunate ways.

I'm currently (still) trying to get through [House of Leaves](https://www.amazon.com/House-Leaves-Mark-Z-Danielewski/dp/0375703764/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1536787331&sr=1-1&keywords=House+of+LEaves) by Mark Z. Danielewski. It's a fantastically weird story about a house...And about other things. It's probably the weirdest book I've ever read, in that it plays a lot with the format. There's at least two stories being told simultaneously most of the time, which can get kind of overwhelming. Think of it like if a regular horror movie and a found footage horror movie had a bastard child together. And that bastard child was this book.

If you're looking for weird fiction in the form of podcasts, I'd direct your attention to Archive 81. For my money, it's the absolute BEST in weird fiction podcasts. It's currently 3 seasons, and each season the podcast changes. It's still the same overarching story / world, but the settings are way different.

Other notable podcasts include King Falls AM which has sort of a goofy x-files-if-they-were-a-radio-station vibe to it, featuring both a lot of good comedy, good songs (when they happen) and the occasional gutwrenching drama. The writing is good, the performance is amazing. You could also go for Darkest Night if you're into the idea of podcasts as a horror medium. They do excellent stuff, and their new season starts this October! They feature a few cameos from Michelle Visage and RuPaul if that's your thing (and these two amazing people feature more heavily in the other podcast by this company, Deadly Manners.

Going back to books, I suggest Laird Barron to anyone who likes horror and short stories. He has mixes of gritty noir and cosmic horror, and he's an absolute blast. The Imago Sequence is my favorite collection of his, but The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All is great as well. Laird Barron has also appeared in compilations outside his own, and was part of compiling the excellent modern Cthulhu short story collection, Autumn Cthulhu. This book is great if you like the idea of cosmic H.P. Lovecraft-esque horror, but don't so much like the gross racism that HPL had (and showed in his work).

If you like Slenderman and have time to burn, I'd suggest looking at Marble Hornets on YouTube. It has 87 "main" entries of varying (but mostly short) length, with a bunch of cryptic in-between shorts. It's one of the first Slenderman pieces of media, though they don't call him that. In Marble Hornets, he's called "The Operator". TBH it's sort of varying in quality (especially in the beginning), as I'm fairly sure the people who made it were film students at the time. As they go along, they have some amazing moments where they show off some really, really great editing skills. Of course, you could also buy the whole series on BluRay if that's your thing, but it's available for free on their YouTube channel.

I really, really like Company by Max Barry about the absurdity that comes from internal beauracracy. his Jennifer Government is also excellent, but I didn't laugh quite so often.

Most of Terry Pratchett's discworld series is awesome. Some books are stronger than others and some people will like different character/storyline focuses than other ones. For example, I'm not huge on the Watch stuff, but I love so many others.

In the same vein, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaimen combine to make the super book Good Omens Which I think most everyone should give a read at least once.

Finally, author A. Lee Martinez has a very Pratchett like voice in his fantasy-esque novels which are always humorous and enjoyable

Hey /r/scifi - greetings from a /r/fantasy reader/contributor, and huge thanks for the opportunity to shill my wares this Saturday afternoon :) If you're still around, here's my pitch:

The buzz is building as They Mostly Come Out At Night launches - it has been selected as one of the top 30 covers in Mark Lawrence's SPFBO, and a recent advance reviewer on Goodreads wrote: "They Mostly Come Out At Night is every dark fantasy reader's dream."

The book was released on Thursday, and is currently at the reduced price of 99 cents (99p in the UK). Here's the product description:

He locked himself away from the dark, but in the Magpie King’s forest nowhere is safe…

Lonan is an outcast, accused of letting the monsters that stalk the night into the homes of his fellow villagers. Now, he will not rest until he wins back the heart of his childhood love and reclaims the life that was stolen from him. However, locked safely in his cellar at night, in his dreams Lonan finds himself looking through the eyes of a young prince…

Adahy has a destiny, and it terrifies him. How can he hope to live up to the legend of the Magpie King, to become the supernatural protector of the forest and defender of his people? But when the forest is invaded by an inhuman force, Adahy must rise to this challenge or let the Wolves destroy his people.

Watching these events unfold in his sleep, Lonan must do what he can to protect his village from this new threat. He is the only person who can keep his loved ones from being stolen away after dark, and to do so he will have to earn back their trust or watch the monsters kill everyone that he holds dear.

[Amazon.com page] (http://www.amazon.com/They-Mostly-Come-Out-Night-ebook/dp/B01DL8S8F6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1459363122&sr=8-2&keywords=they+mostly)

[Amazon.co.uk page] (http://www.amazon.co.uk/They-Mostly-Come-Out-Night-ebook/dp/B01DL8S8F6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459363505&sr=8-1&keywords=they+mostly)

I'm redonkulously excited right now - would love to hear any feedback from people about what's out there so far. I'm also /r/Fantasy's Author of the Day on Monday, so would love to chat with you guys then!

If you want a straightforward page-turner, try The Descent by Jeff Long. Turns out, a species of hominid diverged from homo sapiens a long time ago, and continued to evolve deep below the earth, in underground caves and tunnels. All of a sudden they seem to be coming to the surface to attack people, and we've got to stop 'em. To paraphrase one of the characters, "we've declared war on hell".

If you want something more challenging, how about House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski. It's hard to describe this book, but if you get a chance to pick it up in the bookstore, flip through the pages and look at how it's laid out. The fonts and layout change, some pages only have a couple of words on them, some pages are printed diagonally, others reversed. The book itself is a mystery about a mystery. It may be a horror story, or it may not be, but it will definitely give you an uneasy feeling when you're out there in the woods.

If you want a book that may inspire you while you're out there, pretty much anything by John Muir would do, but how about The Wild Muir: Twenty-Two of John Muir's Greatest Adventures. I haven't read this book, but it's a compilation of his writing and I'm sure I've read many of the stories that go into it. Muir is a great lover of and writer about nature, and had a lot of adventures to draw from.

Have fun on your trip!

Good Omens by Pratchett and Gaiman is both hilarious and really uplifting.

Chistopher Moore is also often both of those things, and I'd really recommend Lamb: the Gospel According to Bif, Christ's Childhood Friend. Again, very hilarious but also surprisingly touching.

I'm not sure why I went with two satirical books about religion, but those are the first that come to mind. For something a little different, the Princess Bride is really light and funny, though it may seem a little too familiar if you've seen the movie recently (it's pretty faithful to the book.) If you're into fantasy, the Riyria Revelations are really fun, light reads, with some great characters and terrific dialogue.

That canvas! If I had access to the rest of the needed supplies, that would definitely be something I'd want. Though I don't...

I have so many lists.. But here goes:

Super Sculpey is on my artsy list because I found you can alter vinyl figures with it and boil or lightly bake it! Further customizing, which I find neat.

Bravely Default is on my list because the demo got me hooked. I use to hate JRPG type games and turn-based games, but this one seems fun with a lot of extra's. (Like extra things to do.)

Purple bed set.. SO DARN ELEGANT.. I mean shhh. Basically purple and black go together so wonderfully and my bed is a mess of colors right now. xD Tiger stripes with green bedding and flowery and black pillow cases. Also a big purple pillow and a leopard print.

African Violet perfume oil is on my list because back when I would go to the flea market there was a man and lady who sold essential oils. African violet was such a mesmerizing scent. I had it all over my room, the house.. Basically anywhere it would smell divine at.

Hard choice between House Of Leaves and I Am Legend. Both are books I want to read because I love the reviews. I generally go for non-fiction, horror books. Both seem to be right for the reading. I want to be scared or intrigued! Hooked into a story.

Coloring book... because I am a kid at heart!

Magnetic cubes! I want these because the original circular buckyballs/neocubes are always WAY to high priced. It's an alternative, and I love magnetic things.

Nubian goat light switch cover because.. goats! I love nubian goats and that's, that! (Also love just about any type of goats..)

Daemon tarot cards because I am fascinated with anything to do with demons, or entities. Generally anything tarot card or fortune related also. More so things that are evil, because people tend to shy away.. While I go towards them.

Last but not least...

I'm such a sucker for Norman Reedus... I want it to hang on my wall. I even have a frame waiting for it. (Thank's WalMart.) Got 2 frames for the price of one!

For HTML/CSS/JavaScript/jQuery, Jon Duckett's books are pretty good. I linked the set because individually they're about $23, and together it's $28. His is the only JavaScript book in my library. I found his books to be well-ordered, and he describes things in really simple ways, though the book layout feels like reading House of Leaves until you get used to it. Both books have made for great references, though free HTML/CSS tutorials are quite abundant, and I leaned on Google more than the book for learning those.

I can't recommend the Django book that I started with, "Mastering Django: Core" by Nigel George, as much of the advanced topics were no better explained than the official documentation. If you're using Django 2.0, forget it. This, and other Django books I've looked at, don't go into any front-end details, seemingly from a belief that "writing Python code and designing HTML are two different disciplines" (quoted straight from the book I linked). The official docs and web tutorials have served me better for bringing Django to the browser.

Aside from d3.js, I'm only using basic JS and jQuery. d3.js was a very specific use-case for the data I'm working with, as it excels at making graphs and charts using SVG. If that sounds like something you're doing, Interactive Data Visualization for the Web was pretty clear for d3.js. Note that d3.js only uses a minimal amount of traditional JavaScript, so do consider your project needs before dropping $40 on it.

The basics of JS and jQuery will go a long way, even without react/angular/vue.js. Just like my first statement about HTML/CSS, I'd say learn the other frameworks when you can no longer do what you want with JS/jQuery, or when a framework is going to save you time.

Sorry for the wall of text - hope that helps!

What other reddits do you surf?
I moderate /r/RATS, /r/Louisiana and /r/OpenChristian. I also read a lot in /r/SquaredCircle, /r/SRSBusiness, /r/SRSDiscussion, /r/polyamory, /r/woahdude and I've been dipping back into /r/Christianity a bit lately as well.

What do you do in your free time?
I read. I reddit. I smoke my pipe and drink my cocktails. I watch pro wrestling. I cuddle. I toy around with making jewelry (trying hammered wire recently) or playing with polymer clay. I'm considering this thing they call "ex ur size" or some such. It involves riding on a bike that goes nowhere. I understand I can read or watch TV while I do it, so I figured what the heck.


What do you read?
Right now I'm going back and forth between The History of White People and A Canticle for Leibowitz. Before that I read Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. the most powerful book I've read in the last few months was Silence by Shusaku Endo. You should read it. And then you should read Lamb because you'll need something a bit more jovial. But not until after you've sat with it a while.

What do you watch?
Ring of Honor Wrestling, WWE, Leverage, Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother.

Do you Blog?
Yup, though not regularly enough to develop any sort of readership.

Do you game?
I just got my first console since the original NES when I was in junior high. It's a Wii. Every once in a while I'll play Mario Kart of do something on the Wii Fit.

Do you play a musical instrument/sing?
I make noise periodically. I want to do more.

What are your favorite movies?
Absolute number one favorite? Hedwig And the Angry Inch. The only tattoo I have is from that movie. Other favorites include The Big Lebowski, Pump Up The Volume, The Wrestler, Shortbus, Dangerous Beauty, Walk The Line.

What is some favorite music?
My absolute favorite band is Over the Rhine. Behind them, tied for second place, you'll find Boris, the Cure, Leonard Cohen and Johnny Cash. Also up there are Kris Kristofferson, Mischief Brew, the CrimethInc band called Requiem (there are lots of bands called Requiem), The New Orleans Bingo Show. The list goes on for days.

I totally understand the fear of the unknown after death. I was raised atheist so I often battle with those fears. It led to anxiety, which I now take medication for, but I also found a few things to help me. I love cats and animals, so I read icanhascheezburger.com and cuteoverload.com every day, or when I feel like I need a pick me up, I also read a lot and do crafts, which can help my mood. It sounds all very cheesy, but honestly these things help me when I'm feeling anxious.

If you want a humorous book to read, I highly recommend "The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal".... it's pretty hilarious, and thought provoking. find it here

You have so many good stories on your list, I'm excited to read the ones I haven't heard of! May I also recommend a few stories? /r/nosleep was my first subreddit and I spent a long time here before making a reddit account. These are just a few off the top of my head. Not sure if this is appropriate for this post (maybe you're trying to bring attention to posts which others may not have read, some in my list were/are very popular) but these stories are just amazing imo. I don't remember enough details from each to do a good job summarizing them (it's been years for the first two), but all these stories left lasting impressions on me and I would definitely read each one again.

• The Story of Her Holding an Orange by inaaace | Book
  
  
• Penpal by 1000Vultures | Book
  
  
• The Left/Right Game by NeonTempo
  
  
• My wife took my son, so I performed The Letter Ritual to find him by Chasethehorror
  
  
• I Dared My Best Friend to Ruin My Life - He's Succeeding by Zandsand90
  
  
• The Smiling Man Stories by various people, example

The closest I've got to that is Prince of Thorns. I've only read the first book of the trilogy in another language, but it was decent, and pretty much exactly what you describe. To be honest I got it as a gift, and I don't know if I would be willing to pay money for it, but maybe you can find it in a library or something.

Now, onto web serials (all free), which are close to your criteria:

Dungeon Keeper Ami. Fanfic. Sailor Mercury from Sailor Moon accidentally becomes a Keeper from Dungeon Keeper. Quite good.

Kumo desu ga, nani ka? (I'm a spider, so what?) and Everybody loves large chests. A giant spider and a mimic, respectively, try to survive in RPG-like fantasy worlds. Both stories are good.

And Worm. Teenager girl can control bugs. Becomes a supervillain despite good intentions. Very, very good.

I recommended this over on /r/Chrsitianity the other day, but I think it's more universally appropriate for this crowd. If you're interested in something non-traditional, I would whole-heartedly recommend Lamb: the Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. It's a fiction that imagines Jesus left Israel during the years we don't have many stories about to go find the wise men that found him when he was young, and try to figure out what the heck it means to be the son of God. It shows him interacting with other religious traditions, and learning about God through them. It's a fun read, and enjoys imagining various Bible stories in ways that match the original text, but not what we assume about them.

It is fiction, and doesn't make any claims to truth, but it's thought-provoking. I highly recommend it to any Christian who can stand to not take the religion too seriously.

Here are some off the top of my head I can remember liking:

Day by Day Armageddon: The first book is amazing and it trails from there.

The Stain Trilogy: Again the first one is awesome, then they fall fast to the point I stopped reading the third one for a couple weeks, before I finished.

The Passage: A Novel This is a huge book, that spans a large timeline. Like most modern "huge" books there is some slow reading and some boring parts but over all I liked it, there is a second one, but I haven't started it yet.

I know some will think the Stain and Passage don't belong here due to the fact they are not zombies, but if you want stories about monsters that eat people and society collapses, then that's what they offer.

LZR-1143: Within, and LZR-1143: Perspectives are two free short stories that are intros (bait) for the real series of LZR-1143 books. I just finished Within last night and after reading the two free books, the rest of the LZR series will be next.

Sawkill Stories: The Silver Tower This is another free intro book, I liked the story and the writing style, and will get around to reading the main book, I hesitate because there are plenty of typos in the free book, and the reviews of the main state the same thing.

Bit late, but seems we have similar taste, so here are some things I really love:

House of Leaves - not a straightforward read, but it's worth sticking with it; the labyrinthine structure of the narrative mirrors that of the house, and is an overwhelming presence, a character in its own right. The story itself is ambiguous, fragmented, ultimately unresolved, and stubbornly avoids any traditional narrative satisfaction, an exercise in open-ended uncertainty, so if you crave narrative closure, this probably isn't for you. But if you can tolerate the ambiguity, it's a book you can get thoroughly lost in.

Good Omens - since you're a Pratchett fan, you've probably read this collaboration with Neil Gaiman. If you haven't, you're in for a real treat - one of his best.

Anything by Phil Rickman. The Merrily Watkins books are essentially supernatural detective stories, based on the traditional folklore of the borderlands between England and Wales, with a little exorcism on the side. My favourites are his early books, especially The Man in the Moss and December.

Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury classic evoking the fears and freedoms of childhood. Wonderfully and weirdly atmospheric. If you like it, you should also read Dandelion Wine - not genre, but in Dandelion Wine he perfects his evocation of childhood, and personally, I think it's his best book. The realities of life, death and mortality, along with its wonder and mystery, seen with the clarity of childhood. And none of the usual rose-tinted 'innocence'.

I liked The Dresden Files pretty well, but it definitely has issues in places. If you want something with a sort of similar feel but (mostly) better female characters, you might give the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire a shot (link goes to the first book in the series). Toby is a detective with a sardonic bent, there's lots of urban fantasy elements, it's just set in San Francisco instead of Chicago. And Toby is female, if that isn't obvious. They're not perfect, by any means, but I enjoyed them a lot.

If you try those and end up liking them, I also recommend Seanan McGuire's other novels, including the ones she wrote as Mira Grant, one of which (Feed) is probably my favorite post-apocalyptic zombie story ever~

I would absolutely agree on the NIV as a good general purpose bible, however there are some alternatives out there depending on what you are looking for. I would highly recommend either The Book of God by Walter Wangerin or The Message by Eugene Peterson, both of which are a re-imagining (read: they should not be used as a reference!) of the biblical stories, the former as a novel and the latter as a bible where the stories are told using language you or I would.

I also greatly support using a study bible, the good ones will give helpful context or reference to the stories you read, or you can just go all the way academic and grab a copy of the Oxford Annotated Bible (but from the sounds of it you wouldn't want that).

Although workingmouse, I would disagree that the KJV is the go-to bible these days for protestants, largely for the reasons you gave. Speaking of definitely not kosher, has anyone read the book Lamb? It's a pretty humorous read, but you really need to be ready to hold nothing sacred for a few hundred pages. =)

Good luck in your search OP!

Oh, you're in for a treat. I'm not sure where you can get them these days, if they've been completely translated yet or not (I've read bootleg translations, pretty good), but I'd recommend these two:

The Monogatari series - just an awesome mix of action, silly, sexy and surreal:
http://www.amazon.com/KIZUMONOGATARI-Wound-Tale-NISIOISIN/dp/1941220975/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1454151508&sr=1-1&keywords=nishio+ishin

Haruhi Suzumiya - starts as light fun, ends up as hard SF. I think the best time-travel sf series I've read, among other things.
http://www.amazon.com/Melancholy-Haruhi-Suzumiya-Nagaru-Tanigawa/dp/0316039020

I'll add my two cents since this is something I've put some thought into, and will point to some other works you can check out.

I'll go a step beyond McCarthy here by saying I'm a fan of Zapffe's idea that self-awareness might be a mistake, a evolutionary trap:

>Such a ‘feeling of cosmic panic’ is pivotal to every human mind. Indeed, the race appears destined to perish in so far as any effective preservation and continuation of life is ruled out when all of the individual’s attention and energy goes to endure, or relay, the catastrophic high tension within.

>The tragedy of a species becoming unfit for life by overevolving one ability is not confined to humankind. Thus it is thought, for instance, that certain deer in paleontological times succumbed as they acquired overly-heavy horns. The mutations must be considered blind, they work, are thrown forth, without any contact of interest with their environment.

>In depressive states, the mind may be seen in the image of such an antler, in all its fantastic splendour pinning its bearer to the ground.

I am very interested in the historical cases of feral children, and the reports of the attempts to re-integrate them after years away from other people. It seems there is a age past which the mind loses a certain plasticity of infancy and learning speech is no longer possible. Though of course the cases are rare and the reports often hobbled by the perceptions of their time, it is also of great interest to me that these children appear to stay at about the same general level of intelligence as the animals that raised them for the rest of their lives (if they were rescued after a certain developmental period). I wonder about the relationship between language and self-awareness and to what degree they depend upon each other. You could learn so much with just a handful of EXTREMELY UNETHICAL experiments.

Other fun notes:

Peter Watt's Blindsight is a recent sci-fi novel with aliens who work entirely "subconsciously" (without self-awareness) and are able to be much more efficient as a result.

People who speak languages with more colors are able to distingush more colors

There is a ton of interesting work out there that has been done about the ways that limited language can lead to limited thought, if you're interested.

I also recommend The Spell Of The Sensuous if this is interesting to you. One of my favorite books. Hopefully we can get to it in the book club some day.

I'm not getting any presents this year, but if you want to give something. Then i'd like something like this. But thats just selfish thinking of me expecting that 1. You'd wanna pay so much. and 2. That you're going to choose me over that Clean water well idea. But if you don't want to buy me a wacom, i'd also be happy with just a good book or something. I heard House of leaves is good.

Even if you dont pick me or something, I just want to say you are a great guy and props to you for this kind of christmas spirit. This song is for you.

Glad you liked it. Echopraxia is the sequal to his book Blindsight, which is a story about aliens, vampires and post singularity humans. Because Peter Watts is a biologist and only a somewhat recent author his sci fi writings reflect that. His perspective as a biologist yields impressive insights, and surprisingly beautiful prose, often philosophical in nature yet somehow not preachy.

Starfish is also highly enjoyable if you like deep ocean stuff. Peter Watts does what great sci fi authors are capable of, they take known concepts turn them on their head and allow you to look at them from a completely new perspective.

Haven't checked in here in a while! Got back from Europe with the fiance a month ago, Ireland and Stockholm were amazing. Totally fell in love with both of them. Currently looking for a new job, have an interview with a company in the Sears Tower this coming Monday. Today, I'm hanging at the hospital working remotely with my dad while my mom has a double heart valve transplant.

Other than that, been reading a lot of Lovecraft/Cthulhu Mythos story compilation books. Currently reading this one and loving it, also have a copy of 'New Cthulhu: The Recent Weird' to read featuring the story 'A Colder War.' Can anyone recommend more books like those?

Hope you all are well! Other than that, my band Plague of Carcosa is opening for Feral Light in January in Chicago. Anyone planning on being there?

World War Z was good, but I found Day by Day Armageddon (and its sequel) and Ex-Heroes to draw me in a bit more. I don't read very often at all, but I could not put down those last two books.

I liked Day by Day because it was somewhat of a first person, diary type book. The second was pretty good too.

Ex-Heroes was good because it was a bit different. It revolved around super heroes trying to deal with the zombie apocalypse and protecting the last of the normal people. Of course, not all super heroes are immune to the zombie disease. A new one called Ex-Patriots just came out, which I'm going to start soon.

Books that changed the way I look at things, and thus changed my life:

Light by M. John Harrison Helped me understand that my feelings of smallness and impotence were pointless. In the greater scheme of things there is always two things: Someone better-off than you, and Someone worse-off than you. Whining about it helps no one.

Crank by Ellen Hopkins Helped me understand my mother's drug abuse. Not condone it of course, but understand it. Within six months of me reading this book, my Mother actually started to get clean. Maybe she found it in my room or something.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski Through this I learned the true power of fiction. This book makes movies look bad. It is the biggest must-read on my list.

Social Engineering: The Art of Human Hacking by CHristopher Hadnagy taught me how better to interpret my actions and the actions of others, and in general made me a more observant person. Barring the manipulative side of things, (which it helps you notice as other people do it or you do subconsciously) it helps you understand social interaction on a deeper level than just words.

A Child's First Book of Virtues by Emily Hunter

I'd have to say that this was one of the single most important books of my childhood. It taught me all the important bits. This book was gifted to me right after I learned to read, and I am quite frankly a better person because of it. It helped form the model by which I judged my own character.

And of course a set of the Encyclopedia Britannica and Compton's interactive encyclopedia.

Buh I like reading.

Not exactly sure what you mean with Dystopian/Futuristic... Dystopian in the sense of 1984 or Brave New World? As in organic transition to near-future dystopia?

If you mean postapocalyptic, I am just going to quote myself...
Post-Apocalyptic I recommend two things:

>A Canticle For Leibowitz Brilliant novel consisting of slightly linked chapters from shortly after collapse up to new civilisational heights. Don't read the sequel, it's a bad Western.

>Wool by Hugh Howey. Really gripping, believeable world-building and decent characters. Sequels are ok, but if you can stand not getting proper conclusions stop after Wool :)

>EDIT: Aaaah, I forgot one of the most important ones - The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Depressing, low-key, believeable. The prose is stunning. If you read anything read this.


Futuristic is pretty broad, I guess you mean SciFi? Alastair Reynolds is always a good recommendation - it's kind of plausible Science Fiction on a big scale. He is pretty good at characterization, keeps the plot in sight and there are still epic space battles. Good starting point is Revelation Space.

Interesting - but a "strong sign" of what? A strong sign that it is not a good book, or worthy of award recognition? There is a strong horror element to the book that would turn off those who dislike disturbing reading. Maybe 20%? Regardless, whatever we might suppose "worthy" to be, I think we can agree that it means something other than popular.

For comparison, Blindsight by Peter Watts is often trotted out as one of the best in the sci-fi horror genre. It has a similar profile - arguably slightly less positive, with 29% at 3 stars or fewer.

I'd say they are somewhat similar novels - well written, imaginative, original takes, genre-bending, and just not everyone's cup of tea.

Peter Watts' Blindsight and *Echopraxia are among the best philosophically-oriented novels I've ever read. As long as you're comfortable with fairly hard-core science fiction, they're very worth reading. They touch on issues in everything from ethics and political philosophy to artificial intelligence and philosophy of mind. They're great fun, and very, very smartly written. Blindsight is up for free here.

Like other people said, Call of Cthulhu is the only one with Cthulhu. It's a great read, but kinda fun to save for when you've read more.

The first story I read was Shadow over Innsmouth, which is fantastic but long. The Hound isn't his best, but it's my favorite. /u/Zaldarr said Dagon, which I agree with. I'd wait a while before Mountains of Madness, as it does kind of take some of the mystery out.

His most famous, outside of CoC, is The Music of Eric Zann and Pickman's Model.

This edition of his short stories is neat because it has a lot of his stories and just looks cool. I use it as a coffee table book.

Despite the fact that it's got comedic elements, there are plenty of parts in John Dies At The End that are pretty wonderfully creepy.

House of Leaves always needs mentioning, it works its magic on numerous levels.

The absolute scariest ghost story I've ever read, and I never hear anyone talking about it, is Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel.

You can't go wrong with Stephen King, but if you haven't cracked into his books yet it can be a daunting task, he has a huge bibliography. For me, IT, The Shining, Salem's Lot, and Pet Sematary are some of the scariest, plus pretty much any of his short story collections are golden. In fact, any one of his short story collections might be the best place to start with King, I would recommend Skeleton Crew.

And while I wouldn't necessarily categorize it as strict "horror", one of the books that's scared me the most is Alan Moore's graphic novel From Hell. It's an absolute beast (and it's pretty much nothing like the film adaptation with Johnny Depp, so don't let that color your perceptions).

I think I'd have to say Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins. It's a novel about a search for immortality, beets, and the perfect taco. I love the way he takes several different storylines and weaves them together. I also really enjoy his sense of humor.

And because I can never have just one favorite, I'll also add Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. It's a story about the end of the world and it's absolutely fabulous! <3

My Favorite Book!

Yep, I enjoy looking for unique editions -especially for horror and weird fiction. Here are some cool editions in the basic price range shown above:

1. The Complete Cthulhu Mythos Nice cheap edition. Honestly, this is the best thing about Lovecraft and Weird Fiction anthologies -there are sooo many. And many cheap editions.
   
   
2. Great Tales of Horror Edition A bit more expensive, but sweet looking book.
   
   
3. Necronomicon Edition. Again way expensive... but, there is a paperback that also looks nice for around 18$
   
   
4. The Mammoth book of Cthulhu This is a collection of Lovecraft inspired stories, and is not authored by your Faithful Uncle Theobald (HPL). However. there is no need for cannon purity, in my opinion. And what a gorgeous, very cheap book
   
   
5. I'm adding this anthology: Awaiting Strange Gods to my book self. Though it is more non-Lovecraft Lovecraft.
   
   
6. For no reason, other than pure random wonderful weirdness, check out wilum pugmire on Youtube.
   
   
   Edit: trying to get format correct.
   
   

One thing that makes me happy is Cinderella III This is the greatest Disney Direct-to-DVD movie in existence. I really feel like it finally took Cinderella back to its action-movie roots. When your new niece or nephew is old enough, I would highly recommend getting her/him this movie - it is fun for kids but even better for adults, and it doesn't take itself seriously at all.

As for books, I would highly recommend Agyar by Steven Brust and Good Omens by Neil Gaiman

I ain't birthed no babies! and Happy Birfday

C'mon...gimme. I've wanted this book for a while now, haha.

As for the dream gift, these would be pretty awesome.

You two look absolutely amazing! :D But really, you two are just simply amazing anyways!

This list needs more Neil Gaiman.


Children/YA books: Coraline, The Graveyard Book, and Stardust are my favs. Do yourself a favor and read the version illustrated by Charles Vess, it is far superior to the (non-illustrated) mass-market paperback. I would link to it, but I can't seem to find it on Amazon. Sorry.

Now, at no point did you ask for short-fiction, though I would think it fits your criteria of being able to pick up and set down at a moment's notice, so I'm gonna rec some fine short fiction as well. Smoke and Mirrors is quite good, as is Fragile Things.

Now as long as I'm here I would be remiss if I did not at least mention The Princess Bride and the Discworld novels of Terry Pratchett. I linked to the first one in the series, but it has been my experience that you can read them in just about any order you want with very little trouble. I usually just go to my local library and grab whichever one strikes my fancy. Terry Pratchett is an amazing storyteller and he also made a sword out of metal ore mined from a meteor after being knighted. That is a true thing that happened. I kid you not. Read his books. They will make your life better. Also to bring this comment full circle, he co-authored a book with Neil Gaiman called Good Omens that is just fantastic.

Many people have already answered but I’ll just chime in that the Necronomicon is what I have and it’s great. Haven’t read all the stories yet though. Also Barnes and Noble have multiple (faux) leather bound Lovecraft collections.

Someone elsewhere in the thread recommended Uzumaki by Junji Ito. I’d also recommend Tomie by the same author. It’s not necessarily cosmic horror but it’s definitely an interesting take on horror and it was his first work. Both Uzumaki and Tomie can be found on amazon in a full hardback collection as well as some of his other works.

How about Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal. The birth of Jesus has been well chronicled, as have his glorious teachings, acts, and divine sacrifice after his thirtieth birthday. But no one knows about the early life of the Son of God, the missing years -- except Biff, the Messiah's best bud, who has been resurrected to tell the story in the divinely hilarious yet heartfelt work "reminiscent of Vonnegut and Douglas Adams"

http://www.amazon.com/Lamb-Gospel-According-Christs-Childhood/dp/0380813815

The complete works of H P Lovecraft is available as one hardback book on Amazon with a nice sturdy case, thin bible-style pages and a page ribbon. It's a great buy.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Fiction-Lovecraft-Knickerbocker-Classics/dp/1631060015

This review speaks for itself:

"I originally read most of these stories a quarter of a century ago, but it was good to find them all in one volume. Let's face it, Lovecraft needs to be read from a heavy tome, preferably by guttering candlelight, as you strain to hear the strange slithering sound just outside your chamber door, and not on a tablet on the 8.52 to Nottingham. All the classic Lovecraft tales are here, and the book is beautifully bound and printed. The print is a good readable size, and each tale has a brief introduction detailing when it was written and any interesting references. You soon realise how hugely influential old H.P was, sci-fi, fantasy and horror have all learned from him, writers like Stephen King and James Herbert obviously so, but others too. Terry Pratchett referenced Lovecraft too. One slight word of caution, the racial language and descriptions in some of the stories are very much of their time. When I first read them years ago I didn't notice so much, but now, even though I'm not the most PC person in the world, some of the language is fairly shocking. If you've not read Lovecraft before be aware of it, but don't let it put you off. Overall a really nice edition."

So the main problem is that these arguments are just bullshit. Islam isn't true. None of the apologetics are correct, it's all just a way that people rationalize an irrational belief to themselves and sanitize its flaws for others.

> The first argument was that Islam is misinterpreted by the majority of Muslims, because the Quran is being taken literally and out of context.

Bruv, that's what the Qur'an tells you to do. This is the Book about which there is no doubt and such. It is correct that not every verse can be taken at face value -- for example, most of the "kill the disbelievers" verses actually do have "but also seek terms of peace" clauses nearby, and where they don't, it's an honest reading of the text to say that they were speaking only to specific battles conducted in Muhammad's lifetime. For the most part, though, the Qur'an intends itself to be read literally.

> The second was that there are many laws that cannot be practiced in a modern society (i.e. cutting hands of thieves, killing apostates, women's testimonial's being half of a man), and that they were only meant for their time.

Total bullshit. The cutting hands verse is followed immediately by "and if you don't actually use this, you are a disbeliever". The occasion of revelation for the "those who don't judge by what Allah has revealed" verses was a time when the Jews decided to "adapt to the times" by not stoning adulterers anymore. Muhammad got mad at them for not taking the Torah literally enough and made them stone her. That story is in Muslim (previous reference) and in Bukhari. Also, 'Umar says that he fears a day when Muslims will quit stoning. Hell yes, Muslims are supposed to support that stuff, according to the Qur'an and the sunnah. Unambiguously.

> The third argument was that the Quran has been preserved and we still have a full copy of the first ever Quran, and it's the same as a modern Quran with the exception of the addition of diacritics.

Not really. There was disagreement between Abu Bakr and 'Umar about whether the Qur'an should be collected at all. Muhammad himself used to forget some verses, so it's unlikely that the verbal transmission of Qur'an (and hadith, for that matter) was as solid as Muslims would like to think. There were many differences among the early copies, so 'Uthman fixed it by standardizing to one language and burning the rest of them. Perhaps the Arabic Qur'an hasn't changed since then, but it's most unlikely that that revision was actually exact.

> The fourth arguments was that the Quran had many scientific facts that could never have been realized by people back then (i.e. water gives life to beings, the earth is round), and this proves that the Quran was written by something divine.

This is the bullest of all the shit. The Qur'an also says that God uses shooting stars to fight space demons. Mountains don't keep the earth from shaking, they are just the earth lumping up when the plates collide -- Muhammad's people thought the earth was flat (like a carpet!) so it needed mountains to keep it from blowing away. While there's not a smoking gun of a scientific statement that's like... only wrong, these "scientific miracles" are always super vague, and if God wanted to prove Himself correct, He could have.

None of these scientific statements were unknown at the time -- they were either (1) immediately observable (2) repeated from the knowledge of ancient Greeks or (3) "written in" by later people. Like "oh man, the Qur'an says iron was 'sent down!' And iron can only come from nuclear fusion in stars! It's a miracle!" Nah. They didn't know about nuclear fusion.

If you think about how a man who did believe in a flat earth with the sun revolving around it would explain things... He'd explain things the way they're explained in the Qur'an. This guy breaks it down pretty well -- I started it at a point where he discusses a hysterical pair of commentaries on the "rising-place of the sun" verse.

> The fifth argument was the Quran was written in such a way that no way a human (the prophet specifically, since he was illiterate) could have done it, only a modern computer would have been able to make in its structure.

This is really dumb. First off, poetry battles between illiterates was like. A big thing that the Arabs of the time did around campfires and stuff. Think about how much beautiful gospel music (and lyrics) was written by American slaves during the 1800's.

Even then, any author's style is mostly inimitable, and these stylistic fingerprints are fairly precise. This is how biblical scholars have cast doubt on the authorship of books of the bible traditionally attributed to the apostle Paul. So whether the Qur'an was written by God or Muhammad, it would be hard to convincingly reconstruct its style...

...Not to mention that this is such a subjective claim. What the hell does it mean to "produce something like" the Qur'an? What would it mean to produce something like Shakespeare? Who would measure it?

This is an untestable hypothesis, and can't be given real consideration. Either way, I've roundly disproved this claim with my own construction.

Also... I'd argue that William Faulkner's writings show a brilliance of composition far beyond that of the Qur'an. House of Leaves, by Mark Danielewski, is also a masterpiece of form far more sophisticated than the Qur'an.

Like yeah... The Qur'an has poetic bits, interesting arguments, some chunks of good moral teaching, but... Overall, it just doesn't get the Nobel Prize for literature. Thousands of people have memorized the Qur'an, either because they were forced to or because they thought it would get them mad pussy in heaven. How many more thousands have memorized Shakespeare's works purely because they thought it was well-written and interesting? I like Abdullah Sameer's reflection on this.

• House of Leaves. It won't really teach you anything, but you'll get a sense of accomplishment from finishing it.
  
• A Confederacy of Dunces. If you feel like you have no direction in life, this might make you feel better about yourself. If nothing else, its a good laugh.
  
• Catch-22. Mentioned here already, but really, it might be the best book of the 20th century.
  
  
• EDIT The French Laundry Cookbook. It's a must for foodies, it's a phenomenal coffee table book, and it's inspiring to read the perspective of someone with so much passion for their craft.

Oh geez, I don't know your interests so here's a variety pack:

Lamb, by Christopher Moore - A comedic look at the years not covered in the new testament. Moore in general is a good read as he provides a comedic take to some well traveled ground.

Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman - The funniest book about the apocalypse ever written. Pratchett primarily writes the Disc World novels, also a good read if you're into fantasy. They satire both fantasy as a genre and out world. Gaiman, on the otherhand, writes gritty urban fantasy with a philosophical twist.

She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb - Lamb writes with emotion. If you're looking for a tear jerker this is it.

The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein - Told from the perspective of a dog, this is a book that will make your appreciate your furry friends even more. Also have tissues handy for this one.

Annihilation (first in the trilogy) - a great mind-bender in the "new weird" category. Plus it's a quick read!

All-time greatest epic fantasy series (IMO blows away GRR Martin and Tolkien): The Malazan Book of the Fallen - 10-book compilation

I'd love to pick up The 11th Hour CISSP Study Guide :)

cheers, and happy Monday!

[House of Leaves] (http://www.amazon.com/House-Leaves-Mark-Z-Danielewski/dp/0375703764/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=39G0LIUE1FX5T&coliid=I2D1S143PFIFLR) I am in love with this book. I took the time to read every last footnote and word of it. I loved it so much that I lent it to a friend, but that friend unfortuantely destroyed it (unintentionally.)


It's not an e-read type of book. It's something you need to read paperback in order to get the true experience of reading this book. It's unique and doesn't even have a format per page. It's disjointed and insane and I LOVE IT. The more you read the more you know.

Thanks for the contest :)

This is the collection I ended up with. It doesn't have everything, but it has all of the best stuff. EDIT: plus these Gollancz collections are the prettiest. There are a couple of Conan ones that I highly recommend.

This is another good one. It's a collection of stuff that edited, reworked or completely rewrote for other authors, so there's a lot of his voice in it, only with a wider range of styles and themes.

House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski.

I read this book years ago and it still haunts me. I love it but I still don't have it all figured out.I would really love to see a film adaptation, as difficult as that sounds, because of how nontraditional the narrative/film would be. In the right hands it could be pulled off really well (like say, Fincher, Aronofsky or maybe Lynch could really turn up the horrific/suspenseful elements). I wish someone would adapt it because it is such an intense mindfuck of a story.

I would also really love to see Haunted by Chuck Palahnuik made into a movie.

Machine of Death is a really interesting anthology series. The premise is based on a machine that can predict how one will die but in cryptic and often ironic ways. :)

Good Omens is also a good book if you like Neil Gaiman

Unnatural creatures is also a really lovely anthology with stories chosen by Neil Gaiman. I tend to like anthologies just because they can explore multiple worlds without getting too bogged down on the environment and just letting the plot drive it

Favorite book? As of recently it would have to be Blindsight by Peter Watts. It's a fictional book, but the author, Watts, uses the situation of fist contact to explore many ideas of philosophy of mind, such as what makes a conscious being conscious? And the impact of transhumanism upon our culture/ lifestyle.

Series: The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. I've never read a book series so fun and adventerous, with the story taking the reader along with the characters into strange twists right when you think you've begun to follow the story. It's a story about a gunslinger named Roland, and his quest to get to an ominous tower known as The Dark Tower, or simply The Tower. Along the way he has to jump universes, save small towns from mysterious robots on mechanical horses, and encounter the god of their worlds himself. It's a fun adventure series that never gets boring, and if you ask me the opening line of the first book, The Gunslinger, is the best opening line of all times: "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill is pretty creepy. Also, Horns - it's not really scary, but it is slightly disturbing, and very good to boot.

I think The Painted Man by Peter V Brett might actually be a pretty great book for reading around Halloween time.

Obviously, Stephen King must be mentioned: one of his lesser knowns, From a Buick 8, certainly had its moments for me. Probably, Pet Cemetary is scarier, but I haven't read that one yet.

HP Lovecraft's Necronomicon has some weird and disturbing stuff in it.

I haven't read it myself, but the TV show is turning out pretty good: Guillermo del Toro's The Strain.

And of course Mary Shelley's Frankenstein or Bram Stoker's Dracula, the classics. Perhaps something from Edgar Allen Poe (The Raven?), or Charles Dickens' Ghost Stories.

I PM'ed you my answers. I especially love the Halloween trick one I wrote about - you're going to enjoy it. I'd really just love these two books - 1 and 2 because reading is fun. Thanks!

American Gods by Neil Gaiman... gawsh just anything by him is really good, but this book is the best match that I've read at least. You know he does good graphic novels, but his books are excellent as well. Stardust, in constrast, takes a more light hearted, fantasy side.

Greywalker by Kat Richardson is about a modern day private investigator who gets dragged into the world of the bizarre. Well written and suspenseful, I think it'd keep you on the edge of your seat.

If you like absurd, check out John Dies at the End by David Wong... before a movie ruins it.

If you want a classic, check out Ferenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I was skeptical of reading sci fi in high school. Well, this book changed my mind.

YES!!! I cannot stress Christopher Moore's books enough. Lamb is the greatest book of all time! I re-read it annually.

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins (which probably inspired Lamb) is also great as well.

There used to be some great ones, but a lot of them were removed when the authors decided to get them published.

This was probably the best one I read on there, and it looks like the guy has done pretty well for himself

You should definitely read Gaiman's comic book series Sandman, too. It is both the best thing Gaiman's ever written and one of the best comic books ever written.

After that, you should read Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett. Amazon is adapting it as a mini series set to debut sometime 2019.

As an aside, after Gaiman, you may want to give Brom a try. Lost Gods features many of the same themes with a slightly different tone. The Library at Mount Char also has a great blend of the weird and fantastical.

I think the best book that breaks down the nitty gritty details of surviving a zombie apocalypse is Day by Day Armageddon.

It's written as the journal of an retired veteran of the most recent gulf wars. He already lives a bit off the grid, so he's better able to survive than most when the crisis hits. His pragmatic approach to everything is what keeps him alive, through all of his choices of where to go, where to get supplies, and what shelters to seek. He also meets and helps other survivors on his way, some of whom choose to shelter and travel through different methods, so you are exposed to other people's survival choices as well.

The journal format it is presented in is perfectly done. Despite all events having already occurred when a journal entry is written, it still makes for incredible tension at various points.

The only complaint I've heard against this book is that some people feel that the main character is too prepared, or too perfectly fit to the challenge of surviving the zombie apocalypse. My response to this is that if the character wasn't "prepared" and capable in the same manner, they would die early on and the story would be over. We are reading THIS story because out of all the people that tried to survive, THIS character has the skills and supplies that has allowed them to stay alive. His preparedness is well within a reasonable level of suspension of disbelief. But to each their own.

Anyways, if you try it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

World War Z is, by far, the best zombie book i've ever read. don't let the shitty movie scare you away, the book is a huge, sprawling story covering all of humanities reactions to the zombies, very often with a very sociological slant to the stories. highly recommend reading it.

the Newsflesh series by Mira Grant is also very good. it starts with Feed, with two sequels. it is a pretty fascinating look at a zombie apocalypse, with humanity basically having recovered from it, and blogs being the primary form of news. the series follows a brother and sister who run a news site and are following a presidential candidate in the latest election. very good, massive amounts of world building, and solid characterization.

This isn't a series, and isn't so much pew-pew as BOOOM and "oh god, the several centuries of ramifications of that boom" but A Canticle for Leibowitz is my absolute favorite book. Sadly there's no Kindle version, but if your library has it, check it out.

For books that have a Kindle version, have you ever read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? Absolutely hilarious.

As for fantasy, one book I've read recently that I thoroughly enjoyed was The Corpse-Rat King. Bonuses for being a cheap Kindle book and for being an indie author! It reminded me of my favorite D&D campaigns in all the right ways.

I'd say get in at least a few young adult fiction, as they're full of saccharine and angst ridden metaphor:

• The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

• Looking For Alaska

A few historical fictions:

• Wolf Hall

• Memoirs Of A Geisha

Comedy:

• The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

• Good Omens

Stephen king (just because he's a favorite)

• 11/22/63

• IT

And finally, some objectively "bad" books, to learn what not to do.

• Wild Animus: A Novel

• The Da Vinci Code

• Moon People


All of these books are personal favorites for one reason or another, and some may fit into multiple categories (see: looking for Alaska under YA fiction and "bad,").

That said, this should at least keep you busy for a bit.

Happy reading, and good luck on your novel!

A Canticle for Leibowitz is my favorite. Swan Song is good. I'm reading The Last Survivors series by Susan Beth Pfeffer. It's pretty good but it's more like a young adult/teen series. I am Legend was great. So much better than the movies. Alas Babylon and On the Beach are Post nuke novels that gave me nightmares. If you need more check out this List

I recently went on a bender reading books about dystopian post-apocalyptic societies. The Silo Saga (Wool, Shift, and Dust) by Hugh Howey, Sand by the same author, and then the Wayward Pines series (Pines, Wayward, and The Last Town) by Blake Crouch.

At the risk of giving away spoilers that could be found in any reviews, all three series explore little bubbles of society that are initially unaware of their status as the last remaining humans on Earth. All of the books are edge-of-your-seat fantastic, with the Silo Saga in particular being absolutely fantastic science fiction literature. I sincerely recommend all the listed books.

I believe the Silo Saga has been optioned to Ridley Scott, which is beyond awesome as the material is perfect for him. The Wayward Pines series just finished filming a mini-series (based on the first book, Pines) with a really impressive cast list. I think its being helmed by M. Night Shyamalan, but I actually trust him with the source material (its right up his alley and familiar to his earliest work).

I completely understand. Some characters rub me the wrong way as well! Thanks for giving my work a try. And I'd encourage you to keep giving indie writers opportunities. There are some great works out there. I'd recommend Phil Tucker's The Path of Flames, Timandra Whitecastel's Touch of Iron, and Benedict Patrick's They Only Come Out at Night.

Not sure about series, but Christopher Moore's stuff is really good if you like Satire.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal - Is an amazing book.

A Dirty Job: A Novel - was pretty good too.

Read "A Canticle for Leibowitz." Here's a brief summary from a review on Amazon:

>Walter Miller's only major novel is not simply a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel but also a multi-layered meditation on the conflict between knowledge and morality. Six hundred years after a nuclear holocaust, an abbey of Catholic monks survives during a new Dark Ages and preserves the little that remains of the world's scientific knowledge. The monks also seek evidence concerning the existence of Leibowitz, their alleged founder (who, the reader soon realizes, is a Jewish scientist who appears to have been part of the nuclear industrial complex of the 1960s). The second part fast-forwards another six hundred years, to the onset of a new Renaissance; a final section again skips yet another six hundred years, to the dawn of a second Space Age--complete, once again, with nuclear weapons.

The monks worship a scrap of paper they found that survived the apocalypse, it's actually a shopping list. This book is amazing because it makes you think about the origins of human society, where it's going, and human nature as it exists today. Positively exquisite.

Hands down, The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. It's actually a series of four books (The Shadow of the Torturer, The Claw of the Conciliator, The Sword of the Lictor and The Citadel of the Autarch) following Severian the Torturer after he is banished from his guild for showing mercy to one of their "clients."

It's just...beautiful and complex and you'll discover something new and fascinating each time you read it. The tetralogy has been ranked on par with the works of Tolkein and has been recognized all the major sci-fi awards, and gained wider literary recognition as well. See the editorial reviews section on the linked Amazon pages:

>"Outstanding...A major work of twentieth-century American literature." --The New York Times Book Review

>"Wonderfully vivid and inventive...the most extraordinary hero in the history of the heroic epic." --Washington Post Book World

>"Brilliant...terrific...a fantasy so epic it beggars the mind. An extraordinary work of art!" --Philadelphia Inquirer

>About the Author: Gene Wolfe has been called "the finest writer the science fiction world has yet produced" by The Washington Post. A former engineer, he has written numerous books and won a variety of awards for his SF writing.

Anyway...yeah, I kind of like these books.

EDIT: A Canticle For Liebowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr. is great, too. It's kind of post post apocalyptic, and it examines the self destructive nature of humanity.

Good Omens is a book that was co-written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. It's kind of in a similar vein of a humorous fantasy novel with a bit of social commentary, only with angels and demons. Very good, I highly recommend it.


I keep saying this one over and over, but Mogworld by Yahtzee Croshaw is another novel in a similar vein I simply can't put down. It takes place in a World of Warcraft-style MMORPG, but it builds a really interesting world with it's own lore, so even if you're not into games, I think you could really enjoy it.

wait, so does it need to be a book i haven't read but would like to, or can it be a book i've read and loved and want other people to read?

because if that's the case, "feed" by mira grant is fucking awesome.

Yes. I came to recommend this as well. In the afterward to Pines, Crouch cites Twin Peaks as one of his inspirations for the book.

How the Series "Twin Peaks" Inspired "Pines" by Blake Crouch

I personally found Pines to be a mix of Twin Peaks, The Twilight Zone, and The Fugitive (TV show), written a bit like something by Stephen King. All three books in the trilogy are great if you're into that sort of thing.

If he enjoys comedy books then you should definitely go with Lamb, the Gospel According to Biff by Christopher Moore.

Else, Ender's Game and The Dresden Files were already mentioned. If he likes zombies go with Day by Day Armageddon. Try out Storm of Iron if he likes Warhammer 40k or in general awesome fantasy warfare in the distance and wicked future.

My ultimate vote goes to The Dresden Files. Harry Dresden is an awesome character.

I can't stress this enough, This entire book is pure satire. Again, satire. That being said it is also very well informed and rather witty.

You've asked for basically something akin to a bible textbook it sounds like and not an entertaining story, I'm only suggesting this because it's the book responsible for me actually going on and finally reading the bible. Much like you said, I also found the bible itself to be a pretty difficult read by today's standards.

Anyways. If you'd like something light and honestly really good to read in your downtime check out Lamb, by Christopher Moore.

For general fantasy I've enjoyed Gentleman Bastard, The Kingkiller Chronicle, and The Broken Empire. I listen to Kingkiller Chronicle fairly often due to the amount of commuting I do where I live.

For more urban/fantasy maybe try Lives of Tao, Iron Druid Chronicles, or anything by Neil Gaiman. The anniversary edition of American Gods was really excellent on audio-book. Not sure if the others have audio editions or not.

I've also really enjoyed stuff by Drew Hayes (a webnovelist). His banner series is SuperPowereds. But I though NPCs was a great take on an old fantasy trope. Neither come in audio formats unfortunately.

Good luck.

I found myself asking the same question not too long ago! His best writing is the series of short stories he wrote for magazines that we collectively know as the Cthulu Mythos. You'll want to check out Necronomicon, which is the compilation of the best and most famous stories.

https://www.amazon.com/Necronomicon-Best-Weird-Tales-Lovecraft/dp/0575081562/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537458514&sr=8-1&keywords=necronomicon&dpID=51We1j8PEkL&preST=_SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_&dpSrc=srch

​

Personally, I got myself the audio book version which is fantastic if you love scary stories. I listen to it in my kitchen while doing dishes. Great stuff. :)

https://www.audible.com/pd/Necronomicon-Audiobook/B00MNQKYNC

​

Oh.....and fair warning. H.P. Lovecraft was kinda racist and it shows in some of his writing. =/

Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium by Bart Ehrman

It's been a few years but I recall it being pretty enlightening at the time. I never really bought most of the critisism of Aslan's book. It might be because both this book and Aslan's had kind of the same take - Jesus as a figure far outside of the mainstream and more a Revolutionary than a Shepherd. (Speaking of Shepherds - if you want to enjoy a completely non-Historical but insanely funny story of Jesus, try Christopher Moore's Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal.)

I am currently reading the Necronomicon and plan on following it up with Dune (as per thecutout's suggestion :D)

Favorite smokespot? Probably my room since I haven't smoked outdoors in months. The ideal would be a cabin in the middle of nowhere next to a lake surrounded by redwoods, looking up would leave you speechless, the lack of light pollution alone could get you high ;o)

Best advice I have gotten: Probably something along the lines of the work you put in will be the work you get out; it's like conservation of energy but with life and shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiitt

Advice I have to give? Adults don't know everything, the younger you are at heart, the further you will go in life. The ability to suspend yourself in a plane of illimitable creativity, the way a 5 year old can, not only opens your mind to more obscure possibilities, but flexes it in a manner few other activities can.

Have a look at this

There is a collection of Lovecraft Stories called Necronomicon. I nearly bought it myself, it's a great looking tome. I actually have the Conan Books in the same series.

​

This is the one I ended up buying I found it was a more complete collection and in chronological order of when they were written.

​

Amazing stories from an amazing writer. Enjoy!

Oh, my, very bad... Don't try that in Morrowind or Oblivion...

I had guides for both... ... somewhere... along with notebooks detailing where I put things, or where some quest things and people were located, etc. The guides were thick. I'm talking House Of Leaves thick. The side quests in the first several Elder Scrolls games (I can't vouch for Skyrim) were fun and engaging, if you knew how to blow through them properly, and could multitask, and had strength to carry whatever peeps wanted, etc... It was great fun, but I couldn't be arsed to complete Oblivion. I had too much fun living as a Nord Knightblade doing whatever I wanted. I don't care about finding the replacement king to save everything. I'm gonna venture into Oblivion through the gaes, and sell artifacts and buy mansions.

My favorite zombie book is-Day by Day Armageddon by J. L. Bourne

and, of course, the films of George Romero. Night of the Living Dead, which can be seen for free online now. legally! and the best- Dawn of the Dead. and finally Day of the Dead.

I found the aliens in Octavia Butlers Xenogenisis/Lilith's Brood trilogy (link to book 1) to be extremely interesting and different, but not so far off difference as to be confusing. VanderMeer's Southern Reach trilogy (book 1) had some pretty far out aliens that definitely fit that bill, though, but is only tangentially military.

edit: just saw I am not the only one to mention Lilith's Brood; props to u/emopest for getting to it first. Leaving the comment because it is just that good!

Without exaggerating the slightest little bit, these books changed my life. Btw. I'm sure a gentleman of such high caliber as yourself will have read it already, but if you have not, might I humbly suggest Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. It is one of the most entertaining books I've read, and positively oozes with inspiration from Adams. Oh, and it's about the apocalypse.

A few weeks ago my text messages weren't sending and I was having just a bunch of texting problems so I decided to restore my phone. I lost all of my pictures, all of my contacts all of my everything. About 10 minutes after the restore I realized my phone wasn't working because at&t was down and I restored my phone for no reason. Why on earth did I do that...?

I don't know how to do the fancy link think so I'll just link what I want like this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0375703764/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1O0XRVYITTYGN&coliid=I2SWTQUCGLVMWB

I want that because I'm a big reader and that book sounds amazing. I could always read the ebook but the way that book is formatted fascinates me.

Thank you for the contest! :)

World War Z, by Max Brooks

The Road, by Cormac McCarthy

A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter Miller

I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson -- fair warning: it's actually more of a short story/novelette. But even if you've seen the Will Smith movie, the book is different (and, in my opinion, better) so you'll still want to read this one.

The Last Policeman, by Ben Winters -- sort of fits. It's not exactly post-apocalyptic. It's more pre-apocalyptic. It's a sort of noir detective novel, except the government has announced that an asteroid is going to collide with the earth, probably ending life as we know it. So it's kind of a murder mystery while the world breaks down around the hero. The first book in this trilogy won an Edgar Award in 2013 for Best Paperback Original.

Parasites Like Us, by Adam Johnson -- This one's more light-hearted. The hero is a 2nd rate anthropologist working at a 2nd rate university. He illegally conducts a dig at the site of an early American settlement, and gets thrown in jail. Turns out that the dig unleashed a virus that threatens to wipe out civilization. It focuses more on the human elements of the story -- life, love, etc. -- and less on the apocalypse, and it's filled with dark humor and satire.

I love Joe Abercrombie's fantasy noir/grimdark. It's long on swords and short on magic. If you want to emulate someone, I can't think of a better choice. He writes fully realized characters, even for his bit parts. He avoids cliches in his phrasing and dialogue, so everything seems fresh. And he does great action scenes. I think the best introduction to Abercrombie is Best Served Cold.

I think it's also important to read Mark Lawrence, starting with Prince of Thorns.

I'm not an ME, but these are some of my (more computery-ish) favorites that might have general engineering appeal:

The Difference Engine - proto-steampunk!

Gödel, Escher, Bach - essays on logicians' wet dreams.

Anathem - mathy and fantastic.

House of Leaves - you'll either love it or it will just piss you off...

Also, anything by Phillip K Dick or Kurt Vonnegut. And Feynman's (first) autobiography is definitely a must.

If you're into zombie books, try this series. It has zombies, action, and an easy to read style.


edit: Oh yeah, and for action, the Joe Ledger series is not bad. It starts here.


edit 2: AND, for another series with good action and pretty fun, check out Sandman Slim.

I GOT THIS! I have it for you! Post Ap book? Check! Zombies? CHECK. Strong Female character(s)? Checky check. ANGST? DRAMA??? chhhhhheck.

I loved these books. The world Mira created is just so plausible, you actually think it might happen. It's intense, dramatic and the characters are just BADASS. She kicks it up so many notches in terms of Post Apocalypse writing.

I bring to you: Feed by Mira Grant

oh, it's on kindle and a series.

It's based on a Neil Gaiman book. He's an amazing author. If you like the movie, you'd probably love a lot of his work. He's well known for the Sandman comics and books like American Gods and Good Omens, which he co-wrote with Terry Pratchett.

If you're into weird/gimmicky/out-there writing styles, Mark Z. Danielewski (author of House of Leaves) is writing a 27 volume series called The Familiar. He'll be releasing a novel every 6 months for the next 13.5 years. I'm most of the way through One Rainy Day In May, and while it's definitely got his writing style, it's actually really enjoyable to read. So give those a shot if you're interested in a very long series, lol. They even have their own subreddit for those curious to learn more!

I was thinking of the immortal words of Socrates who said, "I drank what?"

I like gift cards, but if you want to buy a thing Good Omens is a great choice.

Thank you for the contest!

Hello, Cracked writer here.

I understand some of the frustration you feel, but I don't fully agree with your conclusions. I have done the Cracked list and it is a great launching off point for writing.

The format may be similar, but because it is popular and smarter than Buzzfeed or the many Buzzfeed knock-offs, it opens a lot of doors. I used my Cracked resume to get into contact with Fox Studios, and as a result I have had two seasons of a college sports web series called Suit Up, the second season now airing on DirecTV's Audience Channel.

There are several writers for the site who have gone on to be published. Among them

• David Wong - John Dies at the End; This Book is Full of Spiders
  
  
• Daniel O'Brien - How to Fight Presidents
  
  
• Kathy Benjamin - Funerals to Die For
  
  
• Gladstone Notes from the Internet Apocalypse
  
  
• Jacopo della Quercia The Great Abraham Lincoln Pocket Watch Conspiracy
  
  
• Robert Brockway Everything Is Going to Kill Everybody: The Terrifyingly Real Ways the World Wants You Dead
  
  
• Asher Cantrell - The Book of Word Records
  
  
• Shelby Fero - Writer for @midnight
  
  In addition, if you go into the Lounge section of the forum you will find threads about other sites that pay and offer other types of writing. I wrote for Playboy's The Smoking Jacket for a while.
  
  Overall Cracked has made me a much better writer and prepared me for receiving feedback, collaborating with other authors and building credentials. It's not the end all, be all of crafting great writers, but it is a rare gem that it is a site that allows anyone to sign up, contribute whatever weird or obscure knowledge and get an article before hundreds of thousands to millions of readers, all while giving far more attention to developing writing far more than other sites.

Awesome! If it's your first Lovecraft story you're in for a treat. No one captures the fear of the unknown like Lovecraft did. He writes of entities unnameable and indescribable, hidden horrors so far beyond our comprehension that we are left to imagine (if we even can) what grotesque forms they could take. Expect to encounter ancient forgotten civilizations, cosmic monstrosities, alternative planes of existence, extradimensional deities, all of the above.

Lovecraft never wrote any novels, mostly poems, short stories and a novella. A great thing about them is that they are all interconnected. You would be best off buying an anthology. I highly recommend these two:

Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft

Eldritch Tales: A Miscellany of the Macabre

Good Omens! Good for quite a few laughs if you like a more satirical touch to your comedy and take someone poking fun at religion:)

I'm going to second, House Of Leaves (Goodreads). It's a challenging read, but it tells such a fantastic story. You can get lost in it. It took me about a month and I spent that month completely paranoid, afraid of the dark and nervous about opening doors. If you go with this one make sure you get the physical book the eBook version does not cut it.

John Dies At The End (Goodreads) is a comedy horror book that's also really great. It's not terribly heavy on the disgusting side but it's worth checking out none the less. The sequel is coming out in a month or so.

I haven't read Misery (Goodreads) but it's a King novel that's been recommended to me for all the reasons you've mentioned above. It's on my list and I hope to get around to it soon.

I haven't read much of it, but I bet you'd like the Dresden Files series. The plot and characters are compelling and evocative, but the series doesn't take itself too seriously. There are lighthearted moments, and humor that doesn't break your immersion or seem out of place. I hear similarly good things about John Dies at the End.

I don't want to spoil anything for you, but as a science fiction fan I would highly recommend the Broken Empire series by Mark Lawrence.

I would also recommend Matt Stover's Acts of Caine series as it is a really interesting blend between Sci-fi and Fantasy.

Your milage may vary in terms of what you find "weird," but off the top of my head here's a few that fall all over the weird spectrum

1)The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea. Deals with drugs, conspiracy theories, and the occult blended with a strong sense of wit and cynicism. Imagine Dan Brown but with a much stronger sense of humor.

2) VALIS by Philip K. Dick. Really anything by Dick could deserve a place on here but VALIS is my personal favorite. A group of misfit adults all struggle to piece together a series of odd occurrences that just may be a message from the god of the Gnostics.

3) Spacetime Donuts by Rudy Rucker. If the above are a bit too heady for you, then this might be more up your ally. Weird theoretical math is explored through the travels of an elderly, weed and acid loving guy who lives in a world controlled by a mostly benevolent supercomputer.

Edit: Forgot a couple!

4) John Dies at the End by David Wong. A great story about two slacker guys who stumble upon a "drug" known as Soy Sauce that opens up other words both literally and figuratively. A wonderful combination of dick & fart humor and deep meditations on the horrors of our universe.

5) The Time Machine Did It by John Swartzwelder. I have never laughed so hard, so consistently at a book. John is a writer from the golden age of the Simpsons and his unique sense of humor is on display here. He's got a bunch of books out and I admittedly have only read this one so far, but based on it the rest of his works are definitely on my must-read list.

The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. I'm a fan of time-travel, and history, and I was completely sucked into it. She's got a number of books in the same universe- some comedic, some very dramatic, but The Doomsday Book is my favourite.

If you're at all interested in high fantasy, I'd recommend either Tigana or The Fionovar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay. You either love his prose style or hate it, but if you love it, it will definitely take you away.

If you like SF and haven't read them, I'd try either Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos, or David Brin's Uplift Series (I'd skip Sundiver until later, and start with Startide Rising.)

If you're looking for more light-hearted/quirky, I'd try Christopher Moore- either Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal , or The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror. If you're into a mix of horror/sf/comedy, try John Dies at the End. They're not deep, but they're fun.

Non-fiction- if you haven't read it yet, Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air is very difficult to put down. If you're travelling with someone who doesn't mind you looking up every few pages and saying "did you know this, this is awesome, wow-how interesting", I'd go for Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent, The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America, Rats: Observations on the History and Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants or Bill Bryson's At Home: A Short History of Private Life. They're all very informative, fun, interesting books, but they're even better if you can share them while you're reading them.

Necronomicon: the Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft was probably my best buy, ever. It's a beautiful book with all the best stories (in my opinion). If I were you I'd start with that. You can't go wrong!

Dagon is brilliant but if you do get into the stories and would rather read a physical book

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Fiction-Lovecraft-Knickerbocker-Classics/dp/1631060015/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1527068354&sr=8-2&keywords=lovecraft+complete

I have this and it's glorious, pretty cheap for a book of this quality too, got it for xmas a couple of years ago.

Definitely "Blindsight" by Peter Watts. It's about as hard as sci-fi can get, but it's one of those rare books that can completely blow your mind. It's a First Contact story with a really fascinating take on the evolution of consciousness, with profound implications for human cognition. Watts just released a sequel, "Echopraxia," which is equally great.

Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft (Commemorative Edition)

I've read it a few times through, and it's still great every read. As a bonus, the book looks cool too.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff

It's more fictionalized (and satirical) than precisely what you're describing, but it's one of the best books I've ever read, as well as one of the most hilarious.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, by Christopher Moore

Yes, it's comedy; yes, it's heresy, but it inspired more thinking and discussions about the personhood, divinity, and life of Christ than a lot of the serious books.

Penpal. Originally published on /r/nosleep by /u/1000vultures. Absolutely terrifying.

Footsteps

Balloons

Boxes

Maps

Screens

Friends

*Edit: Holy cow this is easily my most upvoted comment ever. Glad you guys are enjoying the creepiness. As several other people have pointed out, /u/1000vultures has actually published this as a full-length book, with some new stuff added in and edits as well to make it all flow better. If you enjoyed his stories for free, please consider buying them!

I just finished Good Omens, coauthored by Pratchett and Gaiman; it was a lot of fun.

Do you read any graphic novels? The League of Extraordinary Gentleman is a great set.

I also highly recommend the novel Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.

I know you already picked one, but I got the hardcover version of the Necronomicon compilation, and I absolutely love it. It's beautifully bound and embossed. I got into Lovecraft not too long ago, and I'm still working my way through it.

If you're looking for something really dark I'd suggest Harry Connolly's Twenty Palaces series. The first one is Child of Fire. I really enjoyed it and Jim Butcher has also recommend it. Keep in mind there are only 3 books and 1 prequel that Harry self published due to his publisher dropping him.

If you're looking for something stupid and funny I recommend John Dies at the End and it's sequel This Books is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don't Touch It. I have to admit I'm a bit biased on those though, I won a free signed copy of TBiFoS by participating in an alternate reality game around the time of its release.

This it's not the complete collection of HP Lovecradt. But it has all of his best works. And that paper quality is great

Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H.P. Lovecraft (Commemorative Edition) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0575081570/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_aFYDAb4MPCH1J

• Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, about an angel and demon dealing with the apocalypse when the Antichrist is accidentally raised as a perfectly normal 10-year old human.
  
• The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, which gets fairly philosophical.
  
• A Barrel of Laughs, A Vale of Tears by Jukes Feiffer, the illustrator for The Phantom Tollbooth, about a prince who makes everyone around him burst out laughing.
  
  Would also second David Sedaris' humorous essay collections.

I would highly recommend a book I'm currently reading, Echopraxia
Even though it's 2nd in a series to another (equally great) book of Peter Watts' called BlindSight

some of the best Hard Science Fiction in recent decades, IMHO..
and it goes into precisely those speculations that stimulated your post.

If you like SciFi, do yourself a favor and pick it up right now..
If you're not that into SciFi, this might just get you into it more.

I also really liked Christopher Moore - lamb, the bible according to biff was his best so far, although I have enjoyed his other novels as well.

Well if you're in to horror/ sci-fi, you need to check out a book called John Dies at the End. Best book I've ever read. Horror, sci-fi, comedy, action, all executed perfectly. The sequel is even better.

Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds

or

Blindsight by Peter Watts

Depends on what sort of stuff you like, Blindsight is darker and pretty philosophical, focusing especially on consciousness and perception, while Pushing Ice is more classical sci-fi on a grander scale with a good helping of technical stuff and character drama/politics.

I’m always going to recommend the book “House of Leaves” by Mark Z. Danielewski

I can read it over and over and still find new things that I never noticed before, and the story is still intriguing even after finishing the book.
I definitely recommend joining the book club dedicated to it on Facebook, too. The author is active on it, and even answers some of the readers’ questions from time to time.

Devil in the White City- By Erik Larson A fantastic nonfiction that reads like fiction.

Anything by HP Lovecraft for a dose of Horror. I think the story, "Horror at Red Hook" and "Lurker in Darkness" have more of an adventurer GM theme to them than others. Fair bit of warning, when reading his stuff have a dictonary pulled up on your phone. Since it's older material there are a lot of anitquated words in there. Don't worry about learning every new word for future reference. Your brain will pick a couple.
My favorite collection.

I have used some history books about WWI and WWII to make campigns for Iron Kingdoms.

I'm a fan of varied mediums, if you haven't done graphic novels before, maybe look into one that could strike your fancy. Hellboy, Batman-The Long Halloween, most titles by Allen Moore, Superman-Red Son.

Also sneak some poetry in there. Even light stuff like Shel Silverstein was helpful to me. It helps you think of how to use words in new ways.

Edit: Formatting

Reaper Man is my absolute favorite.
The Hogfather is up there as well.

One of the best books of all time, in this genre, is "Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch", it's a collaboration between Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Imagine the book of revelations as written by monty python.

You should read the Feed series by Mira Grant. It's set in the early 2040's, in a world that's had to live with zombies since 2014. It's told through the eyes of two young bloggers on a political campaign trail as they start to uncover a conspiracy. If you like the news, or zombies, or light sci-fi, or action, or even just zombies, you'll love it. Best part is, it's a trilogy that was written all at once, so the story is completely self contained. There's a bunch of spin-off novellas as well, and the same author has an amazing fantasy series set in modern L.A.

Anything by H.P. Lovecraft <3 I absolutely adore the shadow over innsmouth and the colour out of space... If youre into video games they have one based on the shadow over innsmouth with themes from the call of cthulhu and its just amazing... Its called "Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth"

Edit: I bought a lovely volume of almost every story by him from barnes and noble for 40$ AND it doubles as a weapon ;) (http://www.amazon.com/Necronomicon-Weird-Lovecraft-Commemorative-Edition/dp/0575081570/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1397318203&sr=8-2&keywords=necronomicon) I just realized you could find it on amazon for thirty... ;-; sadness...

You want a military science fiction? Here you go! :3

I'm Horrible -ly in love with that book! :D And I'd love to have a CAH game night!

If you liked John Dies at the End you might enjoy this, this, this or this.

Happy reading!

JUST finished American Gods. Great read. If you like it, and enjoy the bits of humor, read Good Omens By Gaiman and Pratchett.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal is a really great read, one of the most clever and funny stories that i’ve read.