Hmmm... Terry Brooks is a lengthy writer of the 'epic fantasy' subgenre, similar to Tolkien in that regard. He has written multiple trilogies within the same world, and following the same decedents. If that's your cup of tea, I'd have no problem recommending him, although it is quite the lengthy starting point, and only if you don't mind the typical epic trilogy template. The original series is The Sword of Shannara Trilogy

George R.R. Martin is widely considered to be one of the most revolutionary fantasy writers of our time. His A Song of Ice and Fire series has rightfully won many awards. It is gritty--sometimes vulgar--brutally realistic fantasy. Each chapter is told from a different character's point of view, and he rotates these viewpoints to advance the story across the world he has created. This series is also long, but absolutely worth the read at some point. He has published 4 out of his intended 7 books of the series, and the 5th should be coming up soon (although he's been working on it for about 5 years, ugh!). The series starts with A Game of Thrones. His subtle plots and back stories make for a wonderful trip into an action-packed adventure and deeply political world. I would very tentatively compare it to the tv show Lost, because it keeps you guessing in a very good way and gives you dynamic, complicated characters without constant flashbacks. I easily consider this to be the best fantasy I have ever read.

Anne Bishop is an interesting author. I categorize her as a particularly indulgent pleasure of mine, as she tends to focus a lot on the romantic relationships of her characters. While it does get sappy at times (and maybe a bit cliche), I would argue that she manages to capture the more primal nature of humanity in a hyperbolic sort of way. All that being said, she definitely thought up an amazingly creative world and cast in The Black Jewels Trilogy, and I have read it through on several occasions (and yes, it makes me shed a few tears every time), although its eventual squeals and her newer work are pretty bad IMO. If you decide to give the trilogy a shot, I'd just recommend to stick with it, as a lot of confusion that I had when I started it my first time through eventually got cleared up, and it has won an easy place in my heart (and is also pretty popular). If you read this trilogy and enjoy it, then read her standalone book from the same world titled The Invisible Ring

As for Robin Hobb, it's been a while since I've read her first couple trilogies, and don't remember much other than how much I enjoyed them. The first book of the first trilogy is Assassin's Apprentice. That's about all I can give since I don't remember much, but it definitely is not the cliche epic.

You simply can't go wrong with any of those authors or books, and I think they give you a wide enough variety of types to choose from. It's tough, though, because good fantasy pushes the boundaries of how you define the genre. Maybe my advice isn't the best, as I'm not quite sure what qualities are desirable for 'starters' in the genre. I started with Tolkien before jumping right into Brooks, so I went right off the epic deep end. That held my attention for quite a while, but it gets old eventually. I think Martin does it best with an epic feel, but not forced or cliche. Bishop, as I said, is innovative and sentimental to an extent, but does not shy away from celebrating sexuality and including some very disturbing elements. If you decide to give any of these a shot, definitely let me know! I would be very curious to hear your thoughts on any of them as someone not used to the genre.

I've posted this before but I'll repost it here:

Now in terms of the question that you ask in the title - this is what I recommend:

Job Interview Prep

1. Cracking the Coding Interview: 189 Programming Questions and Solutions
   
2. Programming Interviews Exposed: Coding Your Way Through the Interview
   
3. Introduction to Algorithms
   
4. The Algorithm Design Manual
   
5. Effective Java
   
6. Concurrent Programming in Java™: Design Principles and Pattern
   
7. Modern Operating Systems
   
8. Programming Pearls
   
9. Discrete Mathematics for Computer Scientists
   
   

   Junior Software Engineer Reading List
   

   
   

   Read This First
   

   
   

10. Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware
    
    

    Fundementals
    

    
    

11. Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction
    
12. Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art
    
13. Software Engineering: A Practitioner's Approach
    
14. Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code
    
15. Coder to Developer: Tools and Strategies for Delivering Your Software
    
16. Perfect Software: And Other Illusions about Testing
    
17. Getting Real: The Smarter, Faster, Easier Way to Build a Successful Web Application
    
    

    Understanding Professional Software Environments
    

    
    

18. Agile Software Development: The Cooperative Game
    
19. Software Project Survival Guide
    
20. The Best Software Writing I: Selected and Introduced by Joel Spolsky
    
21. Debugging the Development Process: Practical Strategies for Staying Focused, Hitting Ship Dates, and Building Solid Teams
    
22. Rapid Development: Taming Wild Software Schedules
    
23. Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams
    
    

    Mentality
    

    
    

24. Slack: Getting Past Burnout, Busywork, and the Myth of Total Efficiency
    
25. Against Method
    
26. The Passionate Programmer: Creating a Remarkable Career in Software Development
    
    

    History
    

    
    

27. The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering
    
28. Computing Calamities: Lessons Learned from Products, Projects, and Companies That Failed
    
29. The Deadline: A Novel About Project Management
    
    

    Mid Level Software Engineer Reading List
    

    
    

    Read This First
    

    
    

30. Personal Development for Smart People: The Conscious Pursuit of Personal Growth
    
    

    Fundementals
    

    
    

31. The Clean Coder: A Code of Conduct for Professional Programmers
    
32. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship
    
33. Solid Code
    
34. Code Craft: The Practice of Writing Excellent Code
    
35. Software Craftsmanship: The New Imperative
    
36. Writing Solid Code
    
    

    Software Design
    

    
    

37. Head First Design Patterns: A Brain-Friendly Guide
    
38. Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software
    
39. Domain-Driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software
    
40. Domain-Driven Design Distilled
    
41. Design Patterns Explained: A New Perspective on Object-Oriented Design
    
42. Design Patterns in C# - Even though this is specific to C# the pattern can be used in any OO language.
    
43. Refactoring to Patterns
    
    

    Software Engineering Skill Sets
    

    
    

44. Building Microservices: Designing Fine-Grained Systems
    
45. Software Factories: Assembling Applications with Patterns, Models, Frameworks, and Tools
    
46. NoEstimates: How To Measure Project Progress Without Estimating
    
47. Object-Oriented Software Construction
    
48. The Art of Software Testing
    
49. Release It!: Design and Deploy Production-Ready Software
    
50. Working Effectively with Legacy Code
    
51. Test Driven Development: By Example
    
    

    Databases
    

    
    

52. Database System Concepts
    
53. Database Management Systems
    
54. Foundation for Object / Relational Databases: The Third Manifesto
    
55. Refactoring Databases: Evolutionary Database Design
    
56. Data Access Patterns: Database Interactions in Object-Oriented Applications
    
    

    User Experience
    

    
    

57. Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability
    
58. The Design of Everyday Things
    
59. Programming Collective Intelligence: Building Smart Web 2.0 Applications
    
60. User Interface Design for Programmers
    
61. GUI Bloopers 2.0: Common User Interface Design Don'ts and Dos
    
    

    Mentality
    

    
    

62. The Productive Programmer
    
63. Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change
    
64. Coders at Work: Reflections on the Craft of Programming
    
65. Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering
    
    

    History
    

    
    

66. Dreaming in Code: Two Dozen Programmers, Three Years, 4,732 Bugs, and One Quest for Transcendent Software
    
67. New Turning Omnibus: 66 Excursions in Computer Science
    
68. Hacker's Delight
    
69. The Alchemist
    
70. Masterminds of Programming: Conversations with the Creators of Major Programming Languages
    
71. The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood
    
    

    Specialist Skills
    

    
    In spite of the fact that many of these won't apply to your specific job I still recommend reading them for the insight, they'll give you into programming language and technology design.
    
    

72. Peter Norton's Assembly Language Book for the IBM PC
    
73. Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets
    
74. Enough Rope to Shoot Yourself in the Foot: Rules for C and C++ Programming
    
75. The C++ Programming Language
    
76. Effective C++: 55 Specific Ways to Improve Your Programs and Designs
    
77. More Effective C++: 35 New Ways to Improve Your Programs and Designs
    
78. More Effective C#: 50 Specific Ways to Improve Your C#
    
79. CLR via C#
    
80. Mr. Bunny's Big Cup o' Java
    
81. Thinking in Java
    
82. JUnit in Action
    
83. Functional Programming in Scala
    
84. The Art of Prolog: Advanced Programming Techniques
    
85. The Craft of Prolog
    
86. Programming Perl: Unmatched Power for Text Processing and Scripting
    
87. Dive into Python 3
    
88. why's (poignant) guide to Ruby

Joe Abercrombie. His style and the philosophy of his writing are similar to Martin. There are no good guys and bad guys in the sense that everybody has their own motives and act on them yet there are still clear protagonists and antagonists. They books focus on a smaller cast of characters and the world is less enormous but the characters are very well realized and the entire series is about 1 and a half times the size of a aSoIaF book. What really made it great for me is that Abercrombie is great at writing intrigue as well as humor that doesn't compromise the narrative.

Here is the link to the The Blade Itself, first book in Joe Abercrombie's First Law Trilogy, and for a bonus here's an video of Joe Abercrombie interviewing GRRM about the Game of Thrones TV series.

If you want a longer review here's a pretty good one from Amazon.

>
>I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. I read the blurb from the back and nearly turned away after reading only half of the summary. But something made me open it up and try the first few pages--and I was hooked. It starts with an action scene--like most fantasy novels--and it is described so well. It is realistic without splattering gore in your face. I can't think of any other author who treads that line so well as Joe Abercrombie does in The Blade Itself.
>
>I didn't find this a funny book, overall. It's not a comedy at all. But there are several moments where I did laugh out loud as I read some clever description or a reaction of one of the characters. In fact I think I found more to smile at in this book than most other novels that are specifically tagged as being funny or humourous. The humour here isn't forced. I didn't feel like the author was trying to be funny. It was more like the humour you might find in casual conversation with a friend.
>
>This book moves along at a good pace. It is one of those books where you want to keep reading to find out what happens, but, unlike many other page-turners, things actually happen in this one! I hate books that promise action or resolution just over the next page, just another page, one more page, and before you know it you've read half the book and still nothing's happened. This is definitely not a one-trick pony of a book. Each character is well developed and the plots intertwine naturally.
>
>What this book doesn't contain are tired old writing techniques. Well, it's not perfect, but it's as close as I've come across in 15 years. Anyway, there are no stereotypical cliched fantasy characters. The author doesn't end each chapter on a contrived cliff-hanger and then talk about another character's life for ten chapters before returning to the cliff-hanger. He doesn't especially dwell on the gruesome details of battle, but he writes it as realistically as you'd want. Perhaps not super-realistic--this is a fantasy, after all--but it's not nearly as predictable as many.
>
>Something else I noticed about the writing style is that Joe will change his writing a little to suit each character. So each time he changes the perspective to a new character, the way he describes the scenes changes, too. It's like he's letting us look through each of their eyes, rather than just giving us a homogenous narration throughout. They're not jarring transitions by any means, though. For me they really added to the story and made it all the more absorbing.
>
>This is by far the most absorbing novel I have read for many years. And this is the most glowing review I have given any book on Amazon!

This is an incredibly standard case. I see a lot of people giving you sympathy and talking about their similar situation, but you aren't going to get better until you take a step back and actually analyze the situation.

Do you "love" this girl because she has all of the virtues that you value in a person, or is it because she is the first and only female that has let you have sex with her? Clearly, if there is some random bro that she would rather fuck than you, you were mistaken about something. This is the "Halo Effect." You projected all of your illusions upon her. You've always dreamed of what it's like to have a girlfriend and you simply believed that the first girl who gave you a passing interest was the perfect one. This is not the case.

Now let's be realistic. This girl probably thinks you're a nice guy, easy to talk to, etc. However, she probably finds you mostly unattractive, or at the very least an embarrassment to be seen publicly with. I don't know how you ended up as friends with benefits, but clearly she doesn't see you fit enough for a relationship. She probably knew that she would end up cheating you and devastating you more than she did by breaking it off early.

That being said, you can NOT continue to be friends with this girl. It is impossible. You will only prolong your torture. Delete her number, remove her as a Facebook friend, get rid of any way of contacting her. Once you do that, you'll be free. Once she doesn't make any effort to make amends, you'll realize how little your friendship means to her and HOPEFULLY you'll realize that you were wrong about her the entire time.

Finally, in order to really remedy this situation, you need to get some self respect. Get a sense of life. It seems as if you put your entire self worth, your whole life, and your happiness squarely on the shoulders of another person. Learn to appreciate that YOU are the sole justification for your existence. Learn to be happy with who you are on your own. Love yourself, because if you don't why would anyone else want to love you?

Sure Katherine is a shitty person for leading you on as much as she did, probably fueled by her guilt of your eventual heartbreak and the desire to maintain the outlet for her emotional spewings. HOWEVER, this situation is NOT her fault. It's YOURS for not seeing her for who she truly was. It's YOURS for valuing her as much as you did. It's YOURS for making her the sole key to your own happiness. If you can fully comprehend and accept that, you will feel infinitely better.

My recommendation? Never speak to her again (even if she reaches out to you), partake in your favorite hobbies (or start a new one), and read Atlas Shrugged. It will change your life.

Disclaimer:

I enjoy thinking about these kinds of things as well, so I will offer some answers and ask some of my own questions. /r/Philosophy might be a better place to start a conversation if you are looking for discussion rather than debate. I don’t see any blatant fallacies in your original post... it would take a more formally structured argument for them to become apparent. If you want to give that a shot, I am more than willing, but it is a bit more relaxing to engage in this conversational style. A lot of what we have been talking about ultimately comes down to what we mean by ‘truth’, which is a fairly deep question, and is worthy of approaching from a variety of different angles.

An answer to your original post:

In my view, art, poetry, lit., music, and even religious teachings all do have some truth to offer, but it is typically truth about US rather than the rest of the universe. I would recommend the book: The Power of Myth - by Joseph Campbell to further suss out how this works in the case of religion.

For example, when a myth personifies the Sun as a deity, we need not assume that this is a literal truth, but that instead it tangentially tells us something deep about human nature, and how we all seek answers, and how our imagination fills in the gaps in the absence of understanding, and how we project ourselves onto the rest of the universe (by personifying non-human nature).

Regarding your last reply:

My answers may come across as a bit reductionistic/deflationary, so feel free to reject that which does not resonate with you.

When an author uses a particular word (like ‘love’, ‘hope’, or even ‘tree’), it carries the weight of all of their previous experiences with it. Since we haven’t had the same experiences as the author, there will be some disconnect between them and us. We usually do seek to communicate as much as possible from ourselves to another through this process, but there is always some loss of information. Even the original author, when they go back and reread what they have written, may not know exactly what they meant at the time, especially if some time has passed, and their views have changed.

The idea of ‘meaning’ itself requires subjects and is therefore subjective. We all generate meaning quite naturally, it is integral to our humanity. Text doesn’t mean anything on it’s own, but it can mean something to the author, and to the reader.

Those especially moving moments of epiphany that we have all experienced when reading a great piece of literature tend to speak to universal statements about human nature - posed in such a way as to elevate the effect. Sometimes these same truths can be stated outright in a sentence or two, but seems small and trivial without context.

Depending on the medium, this effect falls on a continuum from concrete to elusive/vague. In music for example, the effect cannot always be put into words, as the medium itself is wordless. The messages and truths have to do with our shared experiences as emotional beings, who love patterns, consistency, novelty, and pure sensation (among other things). In this sense, a sonata may not be ‘about’ anything, or ‘mean’ anything, but instead it transmits a feeling or emotion. I would still see this as a kind of ‘truth’, but these are very different than truths about the nature of matter, planets, or galaxies.

Before I go on to describe the differences (of truths), I should mention the similarities. I am reminded of a quote:

-----

All truth is one.

In this light, may science and religion endeavor together for the steady evolution of Mankind:

From darkness to light,

From narrowness to broadmindedness,

From prejudice to tolerance,

It is the voice of life that calls us

To come and learn.

• Anonymous
  
  -----
  
  That being said, it would still be a mistake to use music to try to understand truths about the structure of an atom. Yes, both methods do tell us something about reality, and our relationship to reality, but they have different applications and different domains.
  
  
  Perhaps I have gone on long enough for now. If there is a particular point you would like to pursue further, let me know. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to talk about something near and dear to my heart. : )

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.

1.) Something that is grey.

Silver is grey, right? ;)

2.) Something reminiscent of rain.

When I think of rain I think of cuddling up with a good cup of coffee.

3.) Something food related that is unusual.

Coffee chocolate Not that weird... but pretty amazing.

4.) Something on your list that is for someone other than yourself. Tell me who it's for and why. (Yes, pets count!)
Bones for my dog because he hates being alone!

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!

I haven't read this yet, but it's supposed to be amazing!

6.) An item that is less than a dollar, including shipping... that is not jewelry, nail polish, and or hair related!

This book

7.) Something related to cats. I love cats! (keep this SFW, you know who you are...)

meow.

8.) Something that is not useful, but so beautiful you must have it.

I don't think any nail polish is useful, but I love this color

9.) A movie everyone should watch at least once in their life. Why?

Shawshank Redemption Come on, it's amazing. And sad. And Stephen King.

10.) Something that would be useful when the zombies attack. Explain.

These would be particularly useful because I could keep my hair out of my face so I can see zombies better to kill them!

11.) Something that would have a profound impact on your life and help you to achieve your current goals.

skip for now

12.) One of those pesky Add-On items.
Apparently you can straighten your nose with this interesting little item Ohhhh, China.

13.) The most expensive thing on your list. Your dream item. Why?

This book is the most expensive item on my list. Dream item? Nah. A kindle would be my dream item, but not feasible to have on list right now.


14.) Something bigger than a bread box.

This big enough?

15.) Something smaller than a golf ball.

This ring is itty bitty!


16.) Something that smells wonderful.

This air freshener. Mmmm



17.) A (SFW) toy.

Amazon lists this as a toy, so I'm going to have to go with that!

18.) Something that would be helpful for going back to school.

These would be great to hang papers and reminders up on the fridge.

19.) Something related to your current obsession, whatever that may be.

I'm obsessed with books, so uh... most of my wish list. Or this bookmark that symbolizes all that is books.


20.) Something that is just so amazing and awe-inspiring that I simply must see it. Explain why it is so grand.

I'm sure you've seen this but come on! It's John Snuhhhh!

Bonus! Oregon Fruit

Fear cuts deeper thank swords! Thanks for the contest. =)

I kind of got a bunch of books at once, but they are all within a series, so I'll combine them.

The Raven's Shadow books (Blood Song and The Tower Lord) by Anthony Ryan are my most recent read. I read them back to back in less than a very busy month. It's the fastest I've read a book in a long time. I love the other books I've read recently, but these books have truly been the highlight of my 2014 reading list.

Why did I read it? It seemed to be the top of the underrated fantasy list and seems to be quickly growing to the respectable position it deserves as an incredible series.

The Broken Empire by Mark Lawrence. The more I think on them, the more I like them. I wish I had spaced them out a bit, as reading them back to back was a bit much. It's not that there's something wrong with the books, it's just that I think they are best read not-one-after-the-other (sorry, that's wordy, I know). These were really good, well worth the read.

Why did I read it? As a writer ('aspiring,' is perhaps more honest as I have yet to complete anything publishable save one short story), I wanted a story where I rooted for the bad guy. I also wanted to support Mark Lawrence because he frequents /r/fantasy and /r/fantasywriters and I wanted to give back by buying his books. In giving back, I received three really great reads.

Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice is currently being read. I'm a chapter in, so I can't say much about it. I'm intrigued and the prose is impressive, so I look forward to getting into this one. The covers are truly atrocious, so this is a trial in me not judging a book by its cover. Like I said, it's off to a very good start.

Why did I buy it? I saw an interview of her with GRRM, and she seems to have a more-than-good reputation around here. Figured it was high time I give it a shot.

I really enjoyed Vikings! by Magnus Magnusson. It's all English, despite the name he worked in Britain, and he takes you through the archaeology of the Vikings when the book was written (it was published in the early 1980s). This one's a bit longer than the others I'm reccomending, but it's not overly long, it's exceptionally readable, and it gives you a great feel for the sort of things we know about the time period: also, it teaches you what sort of things won't be known, which is equally important.

Another short book I'd reccomend is the Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings. This one is much shorter, and it's presented in the form of a group of double pages, with a map on one side and text on the other. I found it useful for getting a sense about where the vikings had been and when: it's also a good starting point for further research.

A final book I'm very enthusiastic about is the Penguin Classics version of the Prose Edda. I say Penguin Classics for a reason: different publishers will do their editions differently, the translation varies, how it's presented changes, and so on. This is a great example of a 'source' for the vikings: it's a translation of a 13th century Icelandic nobleman's attempt to record his ancestors' mythology and put it into the context of his own life and beliefs. Contrary to how it might sound, this is really quite short, very easy to read and understand, and highly enjoyable. If you want to know about norse mythology, I can't think of a better place to start (mind you, I'm an enthusiastic amateur, not a professional).

These aren't the world's most comprehensive texts, but hopefully they should be a great place to start, and understand what about the vikings you might want to research further.

Hm, here are some recommendations of my favorite Dark/Gritty Fantasies that immediately come to mind:

Joe Abercrombie is one of my favorite new authors, his books are incredibly gritty dark and original, but the characters are simply amazing. The best starting place is The Blade Itself, but you can read his two other books that aren't part of the trilogy and can be read without losing too much, though they are in the same world and there's more to like about it if you already read the First Law Trilogy. Out of his two stand alone books I'd recommend Best Served Cold which is a Fantasy revenge story in the vain of Kill Bill.

One really good book I read recently is Daniel Polansky's Low Town which is a really cool gritty noir fantasy novel. Where the main character is a former detective for a Fantasy city, but at the beginning of the book he's a drug dealer. Then when murders start to occur, he gets drawn back into the politics of the city, resulting in a great story and multiple plot twists and revelations.

One of my favorites books I've read recently has to be Brent Week's Black Prism. It has some really unique world building, where the magic powers are based on light/colors, and the different magic users have different really unique powers based on their color wavelength. His previous work, the Night Angel Trilogy is also great and it's a little more gritty, with the main character being an assassin.

Next I'll go a little indie here, with the author Jon Sprunk's Shadow's Sun. It features an assassin with slight magical powers and the conscience of a beautiful invisible woman (a real imaginary friend) that is always following him around. There's a lot of things to like in this book, even if they are a little shallow.

Two books from different authors (both of which I really loved) that have kind of similar settings featuring thieves running amok in the underbellies of fantasy cities with a decent amount of grit (without being too dark) are The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch and Doug Hulick's Among Thieves.

There's also Ari Marmell's [The Conqueror's Shadow] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Conquerors-Shadow-Ari-Marmell/dp/0553593153/ref=la_B001JSDH98_1_20?ie=UTF8&qid=1340785404&sr=1-20), the main character is a former evil warlord who gave it all up to live a mundane life with a woman he kidnapped. He then has to put back on his fear inducing armor, when someone else is out in the world impersonating him. There is no evil force in this book, and there's a lot of interesting stuff here, the guy actually has a demonic amulet as a partner that provides him with magical abilities, and the demon is hilarious.

The next series isn't too gritty but it's awesome, so I'd still recommend the author Michael Sullivan, a DIY author that was so successful Orbit picked up his 6 book series to release as three larger books (he's also done some great AMA's on Reddit), the first of which is Theft of Swords. The characters in his book are absolutely superb. It's about these two master thieves that are brought into the conspiracy that they wanted no part of, but will see it to the end no matter what the cost.

Robin Hobb technically isn't real gritty, but she is one of my favorite authors, and in her books serious and horrible things can happen to the characters at times, but the endings of some of her trilogies are some of my favorite endings I've ever read. You could start with her first book about the bastard son of a king (that can bond with animals) being trained as an assassin, Assassin's Apprentice, or my favorite trilogy of her's set in the same universe but a different continent, Ship of Magic that has some awesome pirate settings, talking ships, and dragons. I also love one of her other trilogies set in a different universe than the rest of her books, Shaman's Crossing, the first book has kind of a Harry Potter-esque academy setting without the magic, and the rest of the trilogy gets into some really interesting stuff that's too weird to attempt to explain.


I think that's all I got, and you wouldn't go wrong reading any of these books, all of the pages I linked to are the book's Amazon page, so you can read further descriptions that I'm sure are better than mine. :)

I'm gonna say Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen sounds just about right for you. This series epitomizes climatic appearences and moments as there is a wealth of setting to be explored in this work. Figures of myth and legend descend into the story to guide and manipulate the lives of mortals. Mortals rise above the chains of fate to carve their own paths in this world's histories. It's a world filled to brim with interesting stories and they are really a bonus to what you're looking for. Some cautionary and advantageous notes about this series below.

Cautionary: This is a series that executes what your asking for incredibly well, but there is a caution. The series starts in media res and that has a lot of information to process and understand in the first few books. Yet, I found this to work to its advantage in creating moments of pure delight. Its worth it for the build up Erikson does alone. Another caution is that many are unhappy with the changing of story lines many times within the series. I did not have this problem and seeing as you carved your way through Martin's work I doubt you will either. Those are most of the significant concerns I've seen with the work. I'm sure others could think of more.

Advantages: There are a few other advantages this series might have over others for you. The first being that its main volume of work is complete. You will be able to read from start to end at your leisure and not worry about having to sit on your hands waiting for the next book. Likewise, there is still fresh material being amended into the larger world of Malazan at large. So if you enjoy it then there are other stories to follow, many of which are complementary. As a final note it has many interesting and varied applications of story telling. Some of which I'm even now learning to appreciate. If you decide not to pick this series up now, it might be something you want to check out in the future. I did, and I'm happier for it. Good luck and have a good read.

My assertions are axiomatic, and quite obviously so, at that. This is not a wise battle for you to pursue, unless you wish to descend into colonial European notions of manifest destiny and the white man's burden.

>>Those people are just as advanced as any other
>
>No, they're not.

Tell me, then: in a contest of using indigenous medicinal plants, who would prove "more advanced" - you, or these tribespeople? In determining who has superior herding techniques, which party would be the victor? In a comparison of familial kinship and relations? Spearcraft? Long-distance hiking? Animal husbandry?

There simply does not exist any way to declare any of these criteria "unimportant" without making a subjective assertion of your own personal values. And the people we're talking about would most certainly have a different class of values about those things. Why would your values be "more objective" than theirs - or anyone's? The answer is that they cannot be. It is your own opinion, and with any degree of humility, all genuinely reasonable people recoginze that, as I hope that you will, too.

>>Civilization and technology are specific types of advancements, but they are not objectively superior to any others
>
>Yes, they are.

Funny - there sure seem to be a great many very well-reasoned arguments against civilization and technology, even from those who have experienced the very height of their "advancement".

I certainly see no evidence for an objective declaration, even just by examing the meta-issue of the debate itself, which is undeniably still open.

>>to add "culture" in there is frankly just plain racist.
>
>No, it isn't.

Yes, it is. You have virtualy no notions of these people's culture. The very definition of "culture" practically prohibits the very idea of it being declared "advanced" or otherwise. It is simply the collection of common and traditional practices of a given group. I would even go so far as to say that if one were to make judgments of "advancement," surely a culture that has been largely uninterrupted and un-usurped for a period of thousands of years has matured and "advanced" far more than a culture which is ever-shifting and highly dependent on technological advances that didn't even exist a generation prior. But even to make an assertion such as that is meaningless, because the criterion "advancement" simply does not make sense when applied to culture - any culture. The only role that such a declaration can fulfill is to demean and devalue another group of people completely arbitrarily, as to support a racist or otherwise xenophobic worldview.

>By what standard are modern Western civilization, technology, and culture objectively superior to barefoot African tribesmen? By the only objective standard of value: their success at meeting the requirements of human life.

And just what are those "requirements of human life?" These tribespeople might tell you some very different things than what you would tell them. Would either of you be "right?" Absolutely not.

As for the rest of your points, they are all similarly obvious - and highly subjective, though largely incontroversial in our demographic - subjective and personal value judgments. Adding the word "objectively" to your statements does not make it so. Even such criteria as you have mentioned - lifespan, "individualism," property rights (lol), etc., are not objectively "advanced." After all, what are the "objective" benefits of a long lifespan if it is filled with ennui, alienation and oppression? What is the value of "individualism" to a person who cherishes deep bonds and shared struggle with others? How can one declare "property rights" to be an objective good when the very concept of such has only existed for a few hundred years, and has arguably led to the greatest ongoing extinction of species in millions of years?

You see? Value judgments, all of it. And for someone who might call themself a "libertarian," you certainly seem not to understand the true spirit of the credo, "live and let live."

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

Every time questions similar to this pop up, people recommend Neil Gaimen. Well, his book is not bad (I own it), but recommending it to a person asking for a detailed recount of the original myths is downright silly. It's a pretty short collection of myths retold into short-stories by Gaimen. They're well written and absolutely closely based on the original myths, but he still invents new stuff, and again, it's a novel-like retelling, not a detailed account of the actual myths. Here are some further suggestions:

Gods and Myths of Northern Europe by H.R. Ellis Davidson is a great and thorough description of Nose myth and religion by an acclaimed specialist in the field. It's also laymen-friendly.

The Poetic Edda is arguably the single most important source of Norse myths. It's a collection of poems, written down in Christian times but many dating to well into the Pagan era. I've linked the new translation by Jackson Crawford (whose channel is great for learning about Norse myth, btw), but there are others.

Then there's the Prose Edda, which is likewise a very important original source. Whereas the Poetic Edda is a collection of poetry, the Prose Edda sees many of them retold into more consistent prose narrative (hence the title). As a source, however, the Prose Edda is less reliable than the Poetic, since the latter is a collection of actual Pagan myths, while the former is a compilation and retelling by an (early medieval Icelandic) Christian.

The Sagas of Icelanders important sources to Norse myth and particularly religious practice. The Sagas are actual prose stories (and good ones, too), written in the first few centuries after conversion. Figures from Norse mythology, particularly Odin, are often prominent, but the narratives tend not to primarily concern the mythology.

A notable exception is the Saga of the Volsungs, which is one of the most important narratives in Norse myth. Wagner's Ring Cycle and Tolkien's works were both heavily influenced by it. The Volsunga Saga features Norse gods, viking raids, dragon-slaying and much more.

There are more good books, but those ought to be a decent start.

Read Good Omens!
READ GOOD OMENS!

R
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A
D

G
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D

O
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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.

[This thought starts with the student explaining our creation myth. It boils down to this: billions of years ago, there was a Big Bang, the universe formed, stars and planets formed, then life appeared on one and eventually man came into being after many millions of years.]

5...

“I told you yesterday that the story the people of your culture are enacting is about the meaning of the world, about divine intentions in the world, and about human destiny.”

“Yes.”

“And according to this first part of the story, what is the meaning of the world?”

I thought about that for a moment. “I don’t quite see how it explains the meaning of the world.”

“Along about the middle of your story, the focus of attention shifted from the universe at large to this one planet. Why?”

“Because this one planet was destined to be the birthplace of man.”

“Of course. As you tell it, the birth of man was a central event—indeed the central event—in the history of the cosmos itself. From the birth of man on, the rest of the universe ceases to be of interest, ceases to participate in the unfolding drama. For this, the earth alone is sufficient; it is the birthplace and home of man, and that’s its meaning. The Takers regard the world as a sort of human life–support system, as a machine designed to produce and sustain human life.”

“Yes, that’s so.”

“In your telling of the story, you naturally left out any mention of the gods, because you didn’t want it to be tainted with mythology. Since its mythological character is now established, you no longer have to worry about that. Supposing there is a divine agency behind creation, what can you tell me about the gods’ intentions?”

“Well, basically, what they had in mind when they started out was man. They made the universe so that our galaxy could be in it. They made the galaxy so that our solar system could be in it. They made our solar system so that our planet could be in it. And they made our planet so that we could be in it. The whole thing was made so that man would have a hunk of dirt to stand on.”

“And this is generally how it’s understood in your culture—at least by those who assume that the universe is an expression of divine intentions.”

“Yes.”

“Obviously, since the entire universe was made so that man could be made, man must be a creature of enormous importance to the gods. But this part of the story gives no hint of their intentions toward him. They must have some special destiny in mind for him, but that’s not revealed here.”

“True.”

6.

“The story being enacted in the world by the Takers also has a premise, which is embodied in the part of the story you told me today. See if you can figure out what it is.”

I closed my eyes and pretended I was working hard, when in fact I knew I didn’t stand a chance. “I’m afraid I don’t see it.”

“The story the Leavers have enacted in the world has an entirely different premise, and it would be impossible for you to discover it at this point. But you should be able to discover the premise of your own story. It’s a very simple notion and the most powerful in all of human history. Not necessarily the most beneficial but certainly the most powerful. Your entire history, with all its marvels and catastrophes, is a working out of this premise.”

“Truthfully, I can’t even imagine what you’re getting at.”

“Think. . . . Look, the world wasn’t made for jellyfish, was it?”

“No.”

“It wasn’t made for frogs or lizards or rabbits.”

“No.”

“Of course not. The world was made for man.”

. . .

“Think of the consequences of taking that as your premise: If the world was made for you, then what?”

“Okay, I see what you mean. I think. If the world was made for us, then it belongs to us and we can do what we damn well please with it.”

“Exactly. That’s what’s been happening here for the past ten thousand years: You’ve been doing what you damn well please with the world. And of course you mean to go right on doing what you damn well please with it, because the whole damn thing belongs to you.”

“Yes,” I said, and thought for a second. “Actually, that’s pretty amazing. I mean, you hear this fifty times a day. People talk about our environment, our seas, our solar system. I’ve even heard people talk about our wildlife.”

“And just yesterday you assured me with complete confidence that there was nothing in your culture remotely resembling mythology.”

-Source

My recommendations from books I read in the last year or so (yes, these are all VERY STRONG recommends curated from ~100 books in the last year) -

​

Science fiction-

Derek Kunsken's The Quantum Magician (I would describe it as a cross between Oceans Eleven with some not-too-Hard Science Fiction. Apparently will be a series, but is perfectly fine as a standalone novel).

Cixin Lu's very popular Three Body Problem series (Mixes cleverly politics, sociology, psychology and science fiction)

James A Corey's The Expanse Series (which has been made into the best sci fi tv series ever!)

Hannu Rajaniemi's Quantum Thief series (Hard science fiction. WARNING - A lot of the early stuff is intentionally mystifying with endless terminology that’s only slowly explained since the main character himself has lost his memories. Put piecing it all together is part of the charm.)

​

Fantasy-

James Islington's Shadow of What was Lost series (a deep series which makes you think - deep magic, politics, religion all intertwined)

Will Wight's Cradle series (has my vote for one of the best fantasy series ever written)

Brandon Sanderson Legion series (Brandon Sanderson. Nuff said. Creative as always)

​

Manga -

Yukito Kishiro's Alita, Battle Angel series (the manga on what the movie was based)

​

Non-Fiction-

Jonathan Haidt's The Righteous Mind - Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion (and how we are not as rational as we believe we are, and how passion works in tandem with rationality in decision making and is actually required for good decisionmaking)

Rothery's Geology - A Complete Introduction (as per title)

Joseph Krauskopf's A Rabbi's Impressions of the Oberammergau Passion Play, available to read online for free, including a fabulous supplementary of Talmud Parallels to the NT (a Rabbi in 1901 explains why he is not a Christian)

​

Audiobooks -

Bob Brier's The History of Ancient Egypt (as per title - 25 hrs of the best audiobook lectures. Incredible)

​

Academic biblical studies-

Richard Elliot Friedman's Who Wrote The Bible and The Exodus (best academic biblical introductory books into the Documentary Hypothesis and Qenite/Midian hypothesis)

Israel Finkelstein's The Bible Unearthed (how archaelogy relates to the bible)

E.P. Sander's Judaism: Practice and Belief, 63BCE-66CE ​(most detailed book of what Judaism is and their beliefs, and one can see from this balanced [Christian] scholar how Christianity has colored our perspectives of what Jews and Pharisees were really like)

Avigdor Shinan's From gods to God (how Israel transitioned from polytheism to monotheism)

Mark S Smith's The Early History of God (early history of Israel, Canaanites, and YHWH)

James D Tabor's Paul and Jesus: How the Apostle Transformed Christianity (as per title)

Tom Dykstra's Mark Canonizer of Paul (engrossing - will make you view the gospel of Mark with new eyes)

Jacob L Wright's King David and His Reign Revisited (enhanced ibook - most readable book ever on King David)

Jacob Dunn's thesis on the Midianite/Kenite hypothesis (free pdf download - warning - highly technical but also extremely well referenced)

Fantasy books, specifically from first person (she liked hunger games). She would enjoy Alexey Pehov's work. Chronicles of Siala is a great place to start.

I can't comment on how good the translation is, but Pehov is one of the best russian fantasy authors (really popular here). So if they did a decent job at translating his books - the stories will go great with her.

Also from a first person perspective (and really good) are the Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. Although this one might be a bit too dated for todays youth. A lot of characters smoke in it (I think all main ones smoke) and some of the descriptions are vague and abstract (almost surreal like) while others are clear and vivid.

And lastly (but not leastly?) I would recommend The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. First person perspective, fantasy, rich world, with a lot of intrigue. This might the most appropriate book, because even though the protagonist a boy, the novels were written by a woman (it has that vibe about them, a feminine quality). Also has a lot about interaction with animals if she's into that sort of thing (like certain people being able to communicate with them etc). Has a lot of romance elements too (not with animals, don't worry). I'm sure you can figure out if a book is appropriate by reading the synopsis.

I hope this helps. Have a glorious day!

Robert Graves' 2 volume The Greek Myths is comprehensive, but there's a catch: Graves has arranged and chosen his version of the myths in order to facilitate a kind of narrative continuity that's not particularly true to the way that the Greeks understood their myths. Karl Kerenyi and Carl Kerenyi's The Greek Gods and The Greek Heroes are closer to the source material, and will give you a better sense of the variety and disagreements involved. Ultimately, though, it's a matter of preference: Do you want narrative sweep, or fidelity to tradition?

Alternately, you could go back to the sources themselves. Ovid's Metamorphoses is basically a treasury of Greco-Roman myth. Again, there's a catch: Ovid's theme is that of things transforming into something else (hence the title), so there's a definite bias in favor of myths that suit that motif. That said, Ovid is also as close as you're going to get to the original form of a lot of Greco-Roman myths, so it's hard to go wrong there.

If you really want to do some heavy lifting on the Greco-Roman myths, get a copy of Pausanius' Guide to Greece, Vol. I and Vol. II. This is basically a travelogue of Greece, written for the Roman Emperor, and it lists in detail most of the locations associated with Greek myths and legends, and gives some detail on most of the lesser known ones. There's a lot to sift through here, and you'll probably want to have an Atlas of the Ancient World on hand to get a sense of where he's talking about at any given time, so I definitely don't recommend starting out here, but if you're looking for really in-depth source material, this is the place to go.

For the Norse myths, there's the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, as well as a slew of sagas that are worth looking into. On of the most famous is certainly The Nibelungenlied, on which Wagner based his [Ring Cycle]() (you know, "Ride of the Valkyries," and all that), which was the basis for much of Lord of the Rings. Personally, my favorite of the sagas I've read so far is the Volsungs.

For the Sumerians, the obvious starting point is Gilgamesh. Our sources are pretty fragmented, and there are editions that reflect that fragmentation, but for pure readability, I suggest the Herbert Mason retelling. Or, if you're really into it, get both and compare. The go-to author for Sumerian myth and religion in general is Samuel Noah Kramer; his book Sumerian Mythology is as good a general survey as you're likely to find, particularly if you're interested in the archeological method behind our knowledge of the Sumerians.

What else? For the Egyptians, E. A. Budge is your man. Dover Books in general has a good series of older, public domain works on mythology, including books on Japanese and Chinese mythology. I wish I had some sources to give you on meso-American or African myth, but those are areas of inquiry I'm just delving into myself. But then, you're probably overwhelmed as it is.

Good luck.

Yes. I became interested in Viking culture not long before I heard of the show, but the show has definitely helped keep my curiosity going. My interest in Norse history goes like this:

• Interest spiked after realizing Immigrant Song by Led Zepplin is about Vikings (around mid 2012-ish)
  
  
• Started looking into the culture, discovered Wardruna
  
  
• Bought a book about runes, the myths, etc
  
  
• Vikings comes out on History channel (I remember thinking, "Man, Wardruna should do music for this show!" And then mfw)
  
  
• Recently started looking into Asatru and stuff that is still going on in this age that can be tied to Vikings
  
  My interest in the Vikings isn't necessarily about the specific dates, locations, etc. It's more about the lifestyle, the myths, the attitude they had. And Vikings does a great job, IMO, of keeping that interest going. It's inspiring me to get in touch with nature again, learn how to do things I've never done, etc. Plus it's entertaining!
  
  EDIT: Here's the two books I've bought (so far) regarding Viking history. You'll note that they're basically children's books. The first one deals with the myths on a children's story level, the second has more in depth analysis on the myths, but without the pictures. I think simply reading about the things the Vikings may have lived by is better than just learning what date Bjorn raided "whatever-land". Anyways, here's the two books I have:
  
  Book of Norse Myths: Kid's book with pictures, walking you through the myths on an introductory level
  
  The Norse Myths: A much more comprehensive book about the myths
  
  I also have two other books related to Norse history or culture:
  
  Practical Guide to the Runes
  
  Practical Heathen's Guide to Asatru: For learning about the way a heathen's mind works and how he lives his life. I don't follow the stuff in the book, but I'm putting some of it into practice as I explore my ancestral connections

Is there anything in particular you're leaning to?

Author Cherie Priest has a couple excellent books.

• Boneshaker, first book in her Clockwork Century series. It's a steampunk setting with zombies and all sorts of wonderful stuff. This book is actually on sale through the end of the month for $2.99.
  
• Bloodshot, first book in her Cheshire Red Reports series. It's about a vampire gal who is a thief-for-hire.
  
  The Dresden Files series, by Jim Butcher, is a wonderful series. It's about a wizard-for-hire in the modern world, and delves into the wonderful magic environment that Jim has created. Jim likes to put his characters through trouble and turmoil, and it's good for character development! The series starts off with Storm Front.
  
  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is another great series. It's a post-apocalyptic/oppressed setting, centering around something called 'The Hunger Games' - an annual battle that captivates the capitol and all twelve remaining districts. There is a movie releasing next year, as well.
  
  The Name of the Wind is a terrific book by Patrick Rothfuss, the first entry into his series The Kingkiller Chronicles. It's a fantasy setting, and is about a character named Kvothe recounting his life. The writing style has an absolutely artistic writing style that is captivating to read, and such interesting and progressing events that make you eagerly turn the page. I have not yet read the sequel, The Wise Man's Fear, but I'm told it's even better in every way.
  
  Terry Pratchett is an amazing and renowned author. He has been knighted, an event for which he created his own sword for by hand, battles against Alzheimer's in a most respectable and commendable way, and has created such an interesting and provoking world that provides a lot of laughs and curious perspectives on matters. Where you start is a more difficult choice. A couple choice options might be as follows (I haven't read others yet, so I can't attest to others, but there are many!).
  
  
• Guards! Guards! which is the first installment to the City Watch sequence.
  
• The Reaper Man trails after Death, after he has been fired from his job.
  
  I haven't started this book yet, nor looked into it, but I have heard terrific reviews. The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch, is his first book in his Gentleman Bastard Sequence series.
  
  And of course, if you haven't entered George RR Martin's world of Westeros, the series A Song of Ice and Fire could be a wonderful read. It's very complex and very long and not yet complete (five books so far). It starts off with Game of Thrones, which is what the recently-aired HBO series was based upon.
  
  In the science fiction sphere, I would recommend Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It's the first in his Ender's series, and there are quite a few books set in the world. I have only read the first one, and it was an excellent read, insightful and thought-provoking.
  
  ...anyway, that should be a few to peek at!

I was maybe a sort-of atheist for a bit. I basically just realized that the only reason I was a Christian was because I was born into that religion, and that if I was to pick the "right" religion, there would have to be another way, like using logic or reason, to figure out which religion was right. I honestly thought that after a class in logic, I'd know how everything works. Naive, certainly, but I've moved past that now.

And as to why I'm not an atheist, I wouldn't say there's really a reason; I simply don't feel compelled to believe it. I'm still largely an agnostic, but I lean in the theistic direction, or the belief that there's something out there. One of my profs was telling us once of a lecture he heard where the man talked about how people all over the world throughout history feel compelled to some sort of religious belief, some sort of spiritual lifestyle that addressed spiritual questions. And the person considered this to be a good argument against atheism. While most atheists are quick to say religion must prove itself correct, this person said that atheism must prove itself, because it seems that the baseline for humanity is a religious mode of life. The in's and out's of this can be debated, but I think it's worth considering.

And beyond that, I'd say I'm still an agnostic; I'm not really a taoist in any strict sense although I do like taoism for the reason I gave you; it recognizes that it's only an attempt to describe something indescribable, be it God, truth, heaven or whatever else you want to call it. This was Campbell's major theme; all the religions and mythologies we have had are attempts to describe God, but they are not intended to be taken literally. I'd recommend The Power of Muth if this interests you. It's honestly one of the best books I've ever read, and completely changed my outlook on life in a way I don't think any other book has. Hope this helps, and let me know if you have any more questions.

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! :)

Hmm. Tough question. The Alchemist is the first one I ever read and it is very good. It's the one that most people have heard of and is all about following your dreams and how if you want something badly enough that the entire universe conspires in helping you to get it, so long as you aren't afraid of it when it comes. It's really quite extraordinary and I think the message and inspiration from that one is my favorite. But just for the sake of reading its not my favorite. There is a short description in that link.

I think my favorite is either Eleven Minutes or By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept. Eleven Minutes is about sex and love and its the setting is wondrous and the characters are fascinating. The story is a bit more modern than the story in the Alchemist so its a bit more fun to read, just to read. I think my favorite might be By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept though. It is a story about forgiveness and the writing is beautiful and the places he takes you are beautiful and the characters are all likeable most of the time and the story is interesting. I'd highly reccommend any of those. But they're all good.

Despite being more religious than most of his, I actually really loved The Fifth Mountain. Its one I bought without knowing anything about it and the story is almost biblical (still not preachy though) but it was more about choices and duty and honor and I really liked it. Not my favorite, but very good.

Sorry, I'm long winded when talking about his books lol.

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! Loved Redwall and the other associated stories when I was growing up. I was an avid fan and owned the first 10ish, but the quality of story went down as more came out. :(

Now the real trick is figuring out what you're asking, so I'll take a few stabs. If there is a specific aspect about Redwall you really want to reflect in your new reads let me know and I'll expand the selection. :)

Like Redwall as in intelligent animals:

Light On Shattered Water:
Human finds himself in an alternate dimension where cats evolved instead of humans. I first read in around 2000, and last read it again this year, still very enjoyable.

The Chanur Saga:
Anthropomorphic cat aliens. Pretty decent adventure, though the tech is a little silly but not bad considering it was written in the 80s.

Watership Down:
Rabbits in England trying to live their life. And adventure type stuff happens. A classic for very good reason.

Like Redwall for epic adventure and battles

Malazan Book of the Fallen:
Epic in every way. Hands down my favorite book series. Never has any other book given such a sense of scale to the world. Everything has a history, and Erikson writes in a way that you want to know more, about it all.

His Majesty's Dragon:
I originally only picked up this book because the summary sounded like a joke. Napoleonic era England, insert dragons as the aerial corps. I brought it with to work, read it on my breaks and lunch, and after getting off at 9pm ended up staying at wprl until 5 am to finish it and the second book in the series.

I personally love GRRM's writing, repetitive phrases and all (and I wouldn't call myself an inexperienced reader at all). I am absolutely absorbed in the world he's created and I can safely say it's my second favorite series of all time.

But if it's recommendations you're after, I just started Joe Abercrombie's first book, "The Blade Itself." Very interesting so far in that you really aren't sure that you're cheering for any of the protagonists, and I hear the character development is sublime as the books progress.

Also, the Dresden Files (Jim Butcher) are my absolute favorite series. Talk about character development! He does a great job blending sci-fi and fantasy from all over and adds in some really likeable (and snarky!) characters.

And cheers to Redwall! I miss those books. :)

Milk all you want! I'm happy to provide. If you would like to do your own investigations, I highly recommend either purchasing The Prose Edda or The Poetic Edda. Another option is downloading The Uppsala Edda for free. :D

As for Tyr...

> High replies: ‘Then there is also an Áss that is called Týr. He is the bravest and changeable in his mind and he has a lot of control over victory in battles. It is good for men of action to pray to him. There is a saying that a man is týr-valiant who surpasses others. And it is one proof of his valour
and bravery, when the Æsir were luring Fenriswolf so as to get the fetter
Gleifnir on him, then he did not trust them that they would let him go until they placed Týr’s hand in his mouth as a pledge. And when the Æsir refused to let him go, then he bit off his hand at the place that is now called the wolf joint, and he is one-handed. He is so intelligent that it is also said that so-and-so is týr-wise.

(The Uppsala Edda 43-45)

> 'How should Tyr be referred to?'
> 'By calling him the one-handed god, the foster-father of the wolf, the god of battles and the son of Odin.'

(The Prose Edda 110)

I would argue that he is God of War, Justice, and Law. As we know, almost all things that have to do with the law is a battlefield. Same with justice. As seen above, we know him as the god of battle. So you are definitely correct, I think, in saying that he is also strongly associated with justice and law!

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.

When I started watching this show a few years ago I ended up buying quite a few books about Norse Mythology and Asatru (the reconstruction religion that is becoming more popular).

Here are a few good ones

The Norse Myths This is a good basic breakdown of the stories in the Sagas/Eddas and is easy to read.

Viking Age: Everyday Life During the Extraordinary Era of the Norsemen This is a fantastic book that really isn't related to the myths (there is a religion section) but this is a great book that goes over the everyday lives of Vikings and their families. Everything from political structure down to what they ate and how they dressed. It also has great illustrations.

The Prose Edda: Norse Mythology (Penguin Classics) - one of the source materials of the myths.

The Sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok - I dont have this one personally but it is on my list to buy.

If you want to read about the reconstruction religion that has gained in popularity since the 70s check this book out. Essential Asatru: Walking the Path of Norse Paganism - This is another easy to read book that not only goes over the basics of the Myths/Gods but also goes over the ceremonies and rituals of those who choose to practice today what the Vikings practiced. Minus the live sacrifices... those have been replaced with food and drink thankfully.

If you are just wanting to dip your toes into learning about the myths I cannot recommend the first link more than enough. It is far easier to read than the Eddas/Sagas and from what I understand from other subs is a widely regarded starting point.

Also check out /r/norse and /r/asatru.

I just have to make another reply because the amount of ignorance in this post is just simply staggering.

More on Mao, many people do not worship Mao. Those who look at him favourably are also divided on the opinion. On one hand Mao is acknowledged as the person who liberated China from colonial meddling and division. He's the one who united a fragmented China.

On the other hand, the general consensus is that while he was a great general, he was a terrible ruler.

His great leap forward and cultural revolution were utter failures. Even the current government acknowledges it and moved on from Mao's policies.

Nowadays, it isn't a crime to criticise the cultural revolution, discuss or WRITE about it in a best selling novel. Case in point, in 2006, a chinese author by the name of Liu Cixin published a sci-fi novel named "Three body problem", in the first two chapters he unapologetically portrayed the failure and brutality of cultural revolution.

The book became the best selling sci-fi novel in China. In 2015 it was translated into English in the west and won the prestigious Hugo award for best novel. Obama read it and recommended it as his favourite book to read during his presidency.

Proof:

https://www.amazon.com/Three-Body-Problem-Cixin-Liu/dp/0765382032/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500440486&sr=8-1&keywords=three+body+problem

I also hear The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie is pretty genre breaking and similar to the "grittiness" of ASOIAF. I read the first chapter of Best Served Cold (not from the trilogy but same world) and liked it so far.



EDIT: (added link to Amazon) I would also like to plug The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. I enjoyed the political maneuvering of Dalinar and his son, the 'fuck yeah' moments of Kaladin, the worldbuilding of Shallan's sketches and various interludes, the neat stormlight Lashing/soulcasting magic system, interesting pace, and overall excellent quality of the book. I don't think it had the same tone as Martin but I enjoyed it far more than Dance. Just my $.02!

When you wish upon a star...

I'd have to say Beauty and the Beast because I always related to her when I was little because she liked to read and she had brown hair. I love that she sees the good in people.

I think my favorite song would be You'll Be in my Heart, it's just too sweet :)

Thanks for the contest!

A new book :)

I feel you. I'm twenty and in college and often wonder what I'm doing in life. Don't worry though, it's completely normal to feel this way. Here are a few suggestions that have helped me:

• Try not to smoke weed everyday. I can't tell from your post how often you smoke, but when I smoke everyday, especially multiple times a day everyday, I get depressed, and lose my ambitious nature. I never realize it has happened until I take a break for a week. I know sometimes it feels like the only good part of the day, but if you withhold from it you will find other things that interest you. I don't know if this even applies to you, but just give only smoking on the weekends a shot.
  
  
• Read the book Ishmael by Daniel Quinn Seriously man, even if you only read a book every 5 years, make it this one. The author feels the exact same sentiment as you and I, and is able to articulate feelings that have lingered inside me since I was a boy into beautifully worded thoughts. It's amazingly entertaining too. Give it a shot.
  
  Whether you take those two points to heart or not, (I really hope you read the book,) just try to remember this: the fact that you were born was an astronomically unlikely event. That being said, why waste it doing anything that doesn't, in the short or long run, make you happy? Look at everyday as a gift; I know, it is easier to say that than to do it. Don't be too worried about the stage you are in right now, you're just questioning, just remember that you're looking for answers, and when you find the answers to your questions, use them.

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.

You can't go wrong with Frederik Pohl's Gateway. It's an older classic that won all the best novel awards.

For more recent SF, Hugh Howey's Wool Omnibus is outstanding.

In fantasy, I've really enjoyed Joe Abercrombie this past year. Good characters, good plots, and good action scenes. The Blade Itself is the first of his series...all his books take place in the same fantasy world.

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'.

On thing is the legal framework and another is the means that make stuff possible.

Take the "war on drugs". There are very stringent laws forbidding drug use, how are we doing on that front? The place to win that "war" is not on the streets and the border crossings, it's the core of society, the family. You win that war at the dinner table, on the minor league baseball fields, at bedside telling goodnight stories. That's what's going to take to win that "war".

Child labor was necessary for the most part of history. What made it unnecessary? Tractors, enhanced seed, pesticides, washing machines, assembly lines, cars, vaccines, sewers, all the stuff product of brilliant minds operating in freedom and hard work, these people are the real heroes of western civilization. If we didn't have that, we would need children to work. And, believe me, no parent wants that.

We want the same thing, it's just that we have different visions. You concentrate it what is good and looks good whereas I focus in what does good. And my main focus is Freedom. No one, not the state or anything else, should stand between the voluntary interaction of two people.

I'd happily accept and read your book if you do the same with my book:

https://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Shrugged-Ayn-Rand/dp/0451191145/ref=sr_1_1

Deal?

Start here for some cool entry-level stuff. There are many more sites like it. Do some research on what skills you need to also score some jobs that are work from home, or that give you lots of free time, or that generally just seem like a "wow I can get paid to do that?" type job. And just assign yourself homework. Even if it takes years, eventually you'll be competent enough to apply to some things from self education, or otherwise maybe find a more traditional educational path the get you where you want to be. You have your entire life to find a niche to fill in this thing we call society, and you may find some niches where people are just like you--doing what they do, but living for life more than anything. It's about the journey, and maybe you'll find that niche at age 59, but between now and then you'll have some awesome memories about all the trial and error, experimentation, exploration, and realizations. Just poke around, see what happens!

EDIT: I'd totally recommend some fun, INFP fitting books also--not work related, but more "how to fit into the world related". The first one I finished last week and it makes me think about how society can be all a game, and extremely hard to escape from, even if you go to the fringe. The second two I read one summer, 8 years ago, and they completely shaped my worldview and decision-making about who I want to be.

My suggestions:

• Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
  
• The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac
  
• How to Be Idle by Tom Hodgkinson

I haven't really played Gears or Mass Effect much and so am in no place to comment but here's what I'd suggest for the other two.

As a series Assassins Creed is amazing but be warned the first game, while inventive and exciting gets a bit repetitive towards the later third. But after that ACII and its counterparts 'Brotherhood' & 'Revelations' are astounding and with the news on ACIII the series is going to pan out/close on a real high.

For a revelation and in-depth story Bioshock is my personal go-to on all cylinders. The first game dig deep into Randian objectivism and once you read the blogs and opinions you realise that it is a game about the very nature of gaming. I would suggest reading 'Atlas Shrugged' as you play through to get the full depth of the first game.
The sequel is good if you really get into the story of the city of Rapture but doesn't come with the depth of philosophy that the first does.
But if Rapture is your thing it's worth a play to see how it panned out, also get hold of John Shirley's adaptation of the story Bioshock: Rapture.
Again the upcoming Bioshock: Infinite is going to take the series to new heights (pun intended!) and will be a worthy addition to the franchise.

I understand completely. Sometimes the book itself just has an intrinsic value that transcends the information on it's pages. One of my prized possessions is a copy of the Elder Edda published around 1870, and it's written in Old Danish. I can't read Danish of any age, but that doesn't stop the book from having great value to me.

That said, if I were looking for reasonably priced physical copies of the Sagas and Eddas, I'd go with Sagas of the Icelanders published by Penguin, The Poetic Edda translated by Lee M. Hollander and maybe The Prose Edda By Snorri Sturlusson translated by Jesse L. Byock. Good translations, good editions.

If you like Arrival (which you should!), I highly, HIGHLY recommend
reading the book series 'The Three Body Problem'.

The first book in the series won The Hugo Award for best sci-fi novel last year, and balances so many things well, like the Cultural Revolution, exploration, sociology, SETI, and hard sci-fi. Very original and unpredictable.

Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Three-Body-Problem-Cixin-Liu/dp/0765382032/

First off, don't believe anyone who tells you that non-fiction books are the only worthwhile books. That is blasphemy. Non-fiction might make you more knowledgeable about certain things, but fiction allows you to entertain an entirely different perspective of the world for the duration of the book. I would argue that the latter is more beneficial to your development as a critical thinker and a human being.

Secondly, it sounds like you haven't really found your genre yet. You couldn't get through all of Harry Potter, maybe fantasy isn't your thing. Try historical fiction. What kind of movies and TV shows do you enjoy? Try finding books along the same vein. Just like anything else, you're going to have to sift through a lot of stuff you don't like to find the ones you do.

I like to have at least two books going at the same time, because sometimes reading just one book gets boring. At any given time, I'll be reading one book for pleasure (I really like fantasy - so something like Malazan Book of the Fallen), and one book for merit (anything from philosophy to psychology to a travel memoir).

Lastly, try getting your reading time in right before you go to sleep. It's less stimulating than watching TV or being on the computer. You can get a few pages in when you're taking a shit, too.

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.

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.

The Road Less Traveled
I think parents would find more useful information here, but I read it when I was 20(no kids) and found it pretty interesting.

The Alchemist
A quick read, I have felt more at ease and optimistic about life since I read it. Both actually have religious themes--didn't bother a godless man such as myself though.

Motivation to be more creative? Poke the Box by Seth Godin
I have quite a few business-related recommendations, but watching or reading Seth gets my brain going everytime.

I think this is why i asked in the beginning what you're expecting. Especially if you're comparing yourself to others, you may be expecting more than is reality. Just because people say they have a relationship, doesn't mean it's anything more than their own feelings or imagination playing tricks on them. So, don't rely too heavily on 'mountaintop moments' or the right 'feeling' to come along.

Do you like to read? If so, I know an awesome book that goes through a man's experience as he begins to unlearn all he'd learned about what life is truly 'all about'. It's sharing a Taoist, or Buddhist thought of seeing the trip, the present moment, as what's important rather than the destination. A relationship with God looks much the same. If you focus on the feelings or the enlightened moments, you'll miss the whole experience of going through life with Him!

The book is called "The Way of the Peaceful Warrior" by Dan Millman It's kind of an autobiography of sorts.

If that doesn't tickle your fancy, another book that helped me quite a bit with my relationship with God was a rather popular one: "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho

Hello mate, I would recommend you this order: First of all, The Norse Myths:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0394748468/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687622&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B002HLAF32&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=5ST3KMPDJ47HVWWV2AW4

The who´s who in nordic pantheon. Has the most known myths plus a superb introduction to cosmology. Myths are in chronological order, from Ginnungagap to Ragnarok. The writing is very good, adult-oriented with some touches of dry humor.

After it go for the 2 Eddas. Why is important to know about the myths or the gods? Because all the books you are going to read name or make references to the gods or to myths or both. You will want to know what on Midgard are they talking about.

After that, if you want to know more about Asatru specifically, read in this order:
The Asatru Edda
https://www.amazon.com/%C3%81satr%C3%BA-Edda-Sacred-Lore-North/dp/1440131783/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1473832369&sr=1-1&keywords=asatru+edda

The Norroena Society made a superb job publishing this Edda taking away all the christian influence. Really great job. They made with the Eddas what Dr. Viktor Rydberg did with the teutonic myths.

Next in line:
A Practical Heathen's Guide to Asatru

https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Heathens-Guide-Asatru/dp/0738733873/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=8M3GCMHG28EVGP5090FX

Exactly what it says.

Now, if later on your path you feel the itch to learn more about teutonic myths, their social construct, history etc etc let me know that I can recommend more books depending on your needs.

> I'm wrestling with finding meaning in my life and I know there's no one solution like traveling, but for some reason I feel like if I don't try this now I never will. Any advice is appreciated.

If you're MGTOW, there's really no reason you can't travel a year or ten years from now. If you're just looking to support yourself, you can live obscenely cheap for the rest of your life. Money should never be a problem.

My two cents - meaning is internal, not external. It doesn't matter where you go or what people say to you if you don't grapple with hard questions and take the time to think. So my suggestion is to get a few books, ignore everything job-related for a while (if your field's in-demand, getting back on the grind is easy, especially if you've worked internships), live cheap, and get reading.

Not sure where to start? I think a great, accessible introduction to philosophy and thinking about important issues is George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones. Of course, if there's books you've been meaning to read, start with those.

I wish you well on your journey, brother.

Watch The Rubin Report on YouTube. Dave Rubin interviewed both Ben Shapiro and Jordan Peterson, as well as MANY of the other names I see posted by others here. He interviews people from different political, social, and economic philosophies. I even fund him on Patreon because his channel is great (and important).

 

If I had to pick three people that made the most dramatic impact on my life in terms of how I think, seek and evaluate evidence, and use reason, these people would be at the top. While the people on my list did not always agree on everything, I do believe that they are/were intellectually honest:

 

Thomas Sowell

• One of many interviews
  
  
• Basic Economics
  
  
• Black Rednecks and White Liberals - this book changed the way I think quite a bit
  
  Carl Sagan (Science-related things aside, he wrote a bit on Philosophy of thought)
  
  
• MUST WATCH - Great excerpt read by him in his book Pale Blue Dot
  
  
• The Demon-Haunted World
  
  Ayn Rand
  
  
• Interview with Mike Wallace
  
  
• The Fountainhead
  
  
• Read Atlas Shrugged after Fountainhead - this book honestly changed my life
  
  I hope that helps! :)

Well since you've read the Night Angel Trilogy you should definately read Brent Weeks next book 'The Black Prism'. I Absolutely loved it! Its the first book in the Lightbringer Series, only catch is he's only written one so far.
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Prism-Lightbringer-Brent-Weeks/dp/0316068136/ref=pd_sim_b_3

Another awesome series is Peter Bretts Demon Cycle series, check out book 1 'The Warded Man' again awesome read.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Warded-Man-Peter-Brett/dp/0345518705/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331693550&sr=8-1

And lastly since
both the series ive suggested so far are incomplete thought id at least suggest a completed trilogy for you to check out, Joe Abercrombie's First Law series are an excellent read as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Blade-Itself-First-Law-Book/dp/159102594X/ref=pd_sim_b_5

hope that helps

Mushishi is wonderful. But it is very episodic. Its best not to binge the show. Once I got half way through the first season (this was before the second season was even a twinkle in the anime studio's eye) I actually saved the rest for "rainy" day type situations. It took me almost 6 months to finish a handful of episodes, but I really enjoyed watching it that way.

Also, how in the heck can you give Lain an 8 when its like 100x slower than Habaine Renmei?! No, but I do partially agree with you. I love HR a lot, but the first half really drags. Also, I would like to mention that it is very loosely based on a book called Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami. Its a very bizarre but fun read if you are ever looking for a new book to get into.

This is the one I have: https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-50th-Anniversary/dp/0618517650/ref=asc_df_0618517650/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=353656609841&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14182880527356322287&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-420804731972&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=79768475228&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=353656609841&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=14182880527356322287&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-420804731972

I have the Harper Collins Silmarillion Deluxe edition. It was printed in China but honestly they are still pretty nice. But I like this Houghton Mifflin version better than the LOTR deluxe by Harper Collins.

Edit: I changed the link to one that is better priced!

In order of impact:

1 - The War of Art - https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Through-Creative-Battles/dp/1936891026/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1549035419&sr=1-3&keywords=war+of+art

The most important book I've ever read. If you are pursuing any creative endeavor, I would say this is required reading. It's a super quick read, with every page or two covering a quick idea or example. I read it a bit of it every day before starting work on my music. It's like my bible.

2 - Atlas Shrugged - https://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Shrugged-Ayn-Rand/dp/0451191145/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1549035527&sr=1-1&keywords=atlas+shrugged

Taught me the value of hard work. Gave me the confidence that if I put the work in, I could achieve great things.

3 - How I found Freedom in an Unfree World - http://metaphysicspirit.com/books/How%20I%20Found%20Freedom%20in%20an%20Unfree%20World.pdf

Even if you don't agree with all of it, it definitely helps put some new ideas out there that can change how you view things.

Lately, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain...I'm sure on this forum it's well known, and I wrote about it on How did you discover MBTI?

I knew I was an introvert, but I didn't know that that meant, like how we process information, how we verbalize, that we NEED our alone time. So I began to embrace all these things, and better understood how to communicate with extroverts, which is really helpful. I think just this bit of self knowledge has sent me on a reading frenzy.

Currently, I'm reading The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell which discusses all the archetypal myths from different cultures and religions, and how they play a part for the individual and society. These stories/myths, which many of us discredit because they are not based in fact, actual serve the purpose of being example of how to live. Campbell argues that the loss of these myths in western society is an explanation for the misguided youth. People are seeking how to live their lives, but don't know where to find the answers...therefor it's taking much longer to learn how to grow up. Very fascinating. We no longer have strong adulthood rituals or rites of passage, so fundamentally, young adults still act like kids.
It also talks about some meaning of life stuff which is changing a lot of perspective for me and too deep to summarize here. I highly recommend it.

I got your list right here:

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - great story about finding your way in life, destiny, etc. One of my personal favorites and a real life changer for me personally (read it when I was 14, very impressionable)

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominigue Bauby - memoirs of a magazine editor who has a stroke and goes from being a hot shot playboy to being paralyzed. He loses all motor function and the whole book is written by him blinking out the letters. Despite it all he has a razor wit and such a positive outlook it really makes you think about your own life and what is important to appreciate.

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig - kind of an interesting book that gives you a historical breakdown of philosophy all through a somewhat biographical story about a motorcycle trip with his son. Has some really insightful views on what is quality and what is the point of education. Highly recommend for anyone just starting college.

Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman by Richard P Feynman - Autobiography/memoir of one of the greatest minds to ever live. From learning how to pick locks while working on the manhattan project, experimenting with acid, and learning the bongos. Dr. Feynman has such a passion for life, science, and learning it's contagious. Seriously, just see how excited he gets about rubberbands.

Not sure what kind of genius she is but i bet some nice books would be awesome if she likes reading! I have been reading the Malazan series lately, nice multiple character "Game of Thrones style" fantasy novels, they are quite good. http://www.amazon.com/Gardens-Moon-Malazan-Book-Fallen/dp/0765348780

I'll start by saying this is not my most read genre, though I do enjoy it. I tend to read contemporary lit. Still, some of my favorite series are in this genre.

Brandon Sanderson, anything by him. He has a few series in progress, the one that's finished is Mistborn. I'd start with that. He finished the wheel of time at the request of Jordan's widow by the way. Great author.

Fire and Ice (game of thrones). This one's obvious, but it has to be said. Again, the writer is not top notch, but he's pretty good. My main gripe would be with technical writing ability, as opposed to the massive flaws in the wheel of time.

Iain M Banks (not a typo). This man can write. The Culture series is a series that takes place in a persistent universe over millenia at times, though not with the same characters. However, this is one of the best sci fi/fantasy "series" there is. This man was a genius.

Ring World by Larry Niven. A series. Follows a few characters through an amazing series of events. A thought expanding series. Great.

The last one I'll mention is hands down my favorite. Stephen Erickson, the Malazan book of the Fallen. An absolutely MASSIVE series covering an empire, the Malazans. It covers dozens of characters, over the course of I think 10 books. It just wrapped up a couple years ago. Maybe 11 books.

These books are dense. There is a lot happening. The characters are robust. The settings span a continent and are varied. The author dumps you into the middle of it, right into a groups lives. There is no preamble, no backstory. you're just there. Some people find this off putting.

The main complaint I get about this series is there is too much happening and people can't keep track. It is worth it. The reward is being so heavily invested in characters that comparison in the genre is hard. People get upset about a death in Game of Thrones? In this, people are angry 8 books and 7500 pages later, still. Legendary warriors spark questions among people as to what would happen if they laid eyes on each other.

This is truly a literary masterpiece on par with lord of the rings, for completely different reasons. The first book http://www.amazon.com/Gardens-Moon-Malazan-Book-Fallen/dp/0765348780

I'll warn a final time, some people struggle with the complexity. It makes me so sad when that happens, that someone doesn't get to enjoy the epic tale because of the density, but alas. I'd really suggest to stick with it. Read that first book and you'll be hooked. Lose yourself in the world, don't worry about what you think you should know, if you forget something, wiki it.

I should have done them in order. But my fave in order.

Stephen Erickson, Malazan book of the Fallen

Brandon Sanderson Mistworld

Iain M Banks, The Culture series

Everything else is distant in comparison, for me.


**Edit, formatting.

SO MANY!

["Lies my Teacher Told Me"] (http://www.amazon.com/Lies-My-Teacher-Told-Everything/dp/0743296281) by James Loewen. This is about how the world really works, basically. It's all about history and politics and economics and how world powers interact with each other and their own population. It's incredibly eye-opening and will make you understand why everything is the way it is today! It's also ridiculously fun to read :D

["The Quantum and the Lotus by"] (http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Lotus-Journey-Frontiers-Buddhism/dp/1400080797/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383171898&sr=1-1&keywords=the+quantum+and+the+lotus) by Matthieu Ricard and Trinh Xuan Thuan. This is a super fascinating read! It's actually a transcribed conversation between a Buddhist who became a quantum physicist and a physicist who left science and became a Buddhist! It's this AMAZING look into complicated science and it's explained in such simple terms anyone can understand it. But beyond that, it's this really fascinating glimpse into a world where science and spirituality can co-exist. It's like science explaining spirituality, or spirituality giving a wholesome quality to science. It's just so unique and amazing!

["The Power of Myth"] (http://www.amazon.com/Power-Myth-Joseph-Campbell/dp/0385418868/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1383172215&sr=1-3&keywords=joseph+campbell) by Joseph Campbell. If you can, read EVERYTHING by this guy that you can get your hands on! This book is especially poignant because it's addressing all of the aspects of our modern day society, from religion to gangs to marriage, even education. It is incredibly powerful and eye-opening and explains so much about the way we work as humans and the way the individual interacts with society. Plus, you'll learn a shit ton about mythology that you never knew before! And you'll be looking at mythology from a ridiculously profound perspective that I've never seen anyone else address before.

I can give you more if you tell me what you're interested in learning more about :)

EDIT: Typos.

Dune by Frank Herbert.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams. You have probably read it, but if you haven't, it's superbly funny sci-fi comedy.

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. A book that I re-read once every few years, and every time I find something new in it.

Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon. A gripping, heartbreaking non-fiction book about police detectives. It inspired the acclaimed TV series "Homicide: Life on the Street." Simon would go on to create "The Wire."

The Big Nowhere by James Ellroy. Noir-ish procedural crime fiction. If you enjoy "Homicide," you may well like this.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, "a philosophical novel about two men, two women, a dog and their lives in the Prague Spring of the Czechoslovak Communist period in 1968," according to Wikipedia. One of my favorite books.

Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami. Detective novel meets sci-fi in one mind-bending existential work. If you watch "Fringe," well, this book is Fringe-y... and more.

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis. Time travel. Victorian England. A tea cozy mystery of sorts.

Graphic novels! Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman. Love And Rockets by The Hernandez brothers. The Sandman by Neil Gaiman. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki. Elektra: Assassin by Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz. And of course, Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. To discover yet more great comic books, check out the Comics College series.

I just read a few pages and compared them, and let me tell you - Pevear & Volkhonsky will be a big upgrade! You can see them side by side below.

https://imgur.com/a/H2f8JfW

I remember when Pevear and Volkhonsky first started with their translations in the 90's, how highly acclaimed they were - and how much they improved on the fusty 19th century translations that preceded them. I kind of get that vibe from the Macduff translation too, honestly. P&V are much more accessible in their language and interest level, if you ask me - I know I'd be much more motivated to read the latter. If you continue with the reading preview on Amazon, you'll see it builds with each paragraph.

Even if you already have the Macduff translation, I strongly recommend you replace it with the P&V one, linked below. After all, considering the amount of days it's going to take you to read it and the price per day, it's worth the 11 bucks or so it will cost you, for 3+ solid months of entertainment.

https://www.amazon.com/Brothers-Karamazov-Fyodor-Dostoevsky/dp/0374528373

I am glad I am able to expose many of you to these as I have been. If I had to briefly describe them I would have to say satisfyingly dark, plenty of violence and great fight scenes. The characters is what makes this stand out though. Hate them or love them they are truly unique and greatly enjoyable, the perspectives change from chapter to chapter so you never get bored. Everyone is out for themselves and there are no good guys, many betrayals and twists. This is truly the most entertaining books I have read.

Here is the amazon link for those interested in more reviews.

After the trilogy takes place there are 2 stand alone novels taking place in the same world. The first roughly 4 years after the trilogy titled Best Served Cold, the second roughly 8 years after the trilogy is The Heroes.


If you are someone that has been searching for that truly violent epic that doesn't hold back, with a cast of amazing characters and a non stop energy that just flows through the entire set then check these out, It will not disappoint!

Listed below is a list of resources that help me get started with entrepreneurship, I recommend that you start listening to podcast first and then migrate to the books; if you can do both. Indulge!

Business Podcast-
http://www.tropicalmba.com
http://fourhourworkweek.com/blog/
http://www.entrepreneuronfire.com
https://www.stansberryradio.com/James-Altucher
http://www.smartpassiveincome.com
http://www.startupsfortherestofus.com
http://mixergy.com
http://freedomfastlane.com

Business books-
http://www.amazon.com/Think-Grow-Rich-Napoleon-Hill/dp/1453670114
http://www.amazon.com/The-50th-Law-50-Cent/dp/006177460X
http://www.amazon.com/The-4-Hour-Workweek-Anywhere-Expanded/dp/0307465357
http://www.amazon.com/The-Alchemist-Paulo-Coelho/dp/0061122416
http://www.amazon.com/Choose-Yourself-James-Altucher-ebook/dp/B00CO8D3G4
http://www.amazon.com/MONEY-Master-Game-Financial-Freedom-ebook/dp/B00MZAIU4G
http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Learning-Journey-Performance/dp/0743277465


Internet blogs/resources-
http://www.reddit.com
http://www.quora.com
https://growthhackers.com
http://www.tropicalmba.com


All of the sites listed above will give you an idea of how the game is played if you want to learn more in-depth I recommend https://www.udemy.com/courses/ . If you have any questions just hit me up! hope this helps or at least give you an idea.
GOOD LUCK!!!

I am an norse enthusiast who has only superficial knowledge.

I found this book Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland. It is a book for people exactly like me - people who don't have extensive knowledge of the Norse Myths and are yet interested in the overall culture. The book has each myth as a story and it is cyclical - it begins with the creation of the world and ends with Ragnarok. So basically, it contains all the stories in the Eddas - in a much more reader friendly manner than the usual academic works.

All in all, a very enjoyable book. I'd highly recommend it.


...although, the price mentioned in Amazon seems pretty high. I bought a different version of the book at my place for less than half that price.

i mean, i say give the books another shot because i can't imagine enjoying the movies but not the books. but to each their own. if you don't want to go down that road, what do you mean things that might interest you? do you mean in the harry potter universe? if so, the other stuff is fun but the original seven are her magnum opus IMO and to get my fix, i had to go outside the Harry Potter universe.

some books that I just inhaled and read in one sitting will sound super corny, but...

• The Sookie Stackhouse novels. Wow. I am embarrassed at how fast I read these books. Edward Cullen can screw off. Eric is way hotter.
  
• the Da Vinci Code. Not the best writing. not the most factual history. don't care I blasted through that book.
  
• Ready Player One
  
  If you just want some good fantasy that isn't just Lord of the Rings rip offs, these are the ones I like.
  
  
• Gormenghast
  
• King Killer Chronicles
  
• Wheel of Time
  
• Game of Thrones
  
• The Blade Itself
  
• The Crystal Cave

I have so many complicated emotions reading your post. I've been trying to think of what to write, and I don't know what.

I went to school to be a music teacher, and tried teaching several times, and never got positive feedback. I even took some graduate school classes. I'll never forget one of my instructors saying, "that was a great lesson, but I could never see you actually doing this..." Whatever sort of demeanor or manner teachers have, I don't have it. Education is a very passionate matter for me, so it's really tough to just let it go, but I don't know how else to handle it. I've never had a positive review, it feels really stressful to work in a classroom environment... I guess it's just not my thing. I feel really sad when I think about teaching. It sounds like you've been a lot more successful as a musician than I have been as a teacher, but maybe I can empathize somewhat; in the way you find the industry intimidating, and the work environment uninviting, I feel very similarly about the education industry. But your sentiment that it's not for me but I wish it was - that's exactly how I feel about teaching.

So I decided I want to be a singer/songwriter, as crazy as that sounds, because music is the only thing that means anything to me, and I know I'd regret pursuing anything else, even if it means taking a vow of poverty.

While I'm working toward that, though, I've been working at my aunt's law firm, and I have the luxury of a single family home, which is a great place for an acoustic musician to live. Tax breaks are in your favor (even though I don't actually think this is a good social policy...). If you're really serious about playing more, consider a cheap single family home on the fringes of town.

If it's any consolation about playing, I feel like I can pick up my horn and play with nearly my best tone quality, even if I haven't touched it in months. I really swear by Jim Thompson's Buzzing Book. You could at least do the exercises in your car with the mouthpiece or in a park with an ipod.

But life just takes us all kinds of places whether we expected to go there or not. And you can choose what you want to be a part of your life, and how much of your time you want that thing to take up. Perhaps not without sacrifices, it's certainly possible for you to play as much or as little as you like, and take it as seriously or not as you like.

Two books that come to mind are Centering by M.C. Richards and The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

Use of Weapons and, everything else by Iain M. Banks. Amazing stuff. Trust me.

The Blade Itself and the rest of that series by Joe Abercrombie.

Altered Carbon and the rest of that series as well as Thirteen and The Steel Remains, and it's sequel (still waiting on book 3) by Richard K. Morgan. He's pretty amazing.

That would keep you busy for a long time and are all pretty amazing. Seconding Dune, which is amazing, and the Name of the Wind which is great but very popcorn.

But really, if you were to read everything by Iain M. Banks you would be a better person.

Edit: The Sparrow

Not sure about scifi movies, but there's a book, The Three Body Problem that has won the Hugo award. The title refers to the famous three-body problem in physics, which is known for having no closed-form general solution. People around this sub generally agree that the original Chinese version is better than the translation, no surprise there; but many English readers I've asked say they still liked the translation. It also has 2 sequels, so it's a trilogy really. And they're coming out with a film adaptation next year.

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.

Thanks for the kind words. I always think I come across as a cynic so it's encouraging to know there's some good mixed in with it all, lol.

And also super excited to share Dostoevsky! I didn't encounter him until my late-20s, and was just blown away. Definitely had a lot of similar thoughts as you when I first started reading him.

Here are the two I mentioned:

Brothers Karamazov

The Idiot

Have fun with your literary explorations! :D

Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson. This is the first book of the Malazan Book Of The Fallen series. it is a 10 book, super epic fantasy series. my favorite series ever. i laughed. i cried. multiple times on both accounts. all ten books are published, so no waiting. fantastic writing, this guy is super smart and it shows in his writing.


Thanks for hosting a book contest. i'm a huge bookworm.

<3

Great contest!

I want to get into reading the game of thrones books . I hear such great things about the show, and everyone tells me I should definitely read the books. I've been meaning to find a good series to get into now that I've finished school and have time to read for fun lol.

Richard K. Morgan: A land fit for heroes

It's a pretty damn good fantasy series. I got into it because his cyberpunk noir novels were so damn good. Altered Carbon and the rest of the Takeshi Kovacs novels were excellent.

Also, I was lucky enough to have friends immediately recommend Joe Abercrombie post asoiaf. The First Law Trilogy is absolutely gripping. Personally, I think it's better than asoiaf.

morning star is the 3rd book in the red rising trilogy by pierce brown. while more sci fi than fantasy it is AMAZING and i cant recommend it enough, it starts with red rising

great story, amazing pacing. if you like a story where the plot moves along rapidly while still filling in the details nicely do yourself a favor and give it a shot.

I haven't read anything good in years and the things I have read are usually due to finding new books for my kids or reading the books that have been adapted to tv/film.

One of my all time favorite series was from Robin Hobb. Starting with Assassin's Apprentice. This was a difficult read for me at the time, but I loved the story behind the characters.

I started reading less fantasy after reading Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Millennial Series. I read these after watching the original films. It is fantastic. Just don't buy the fourth book, it wasn't even written by him as he has been dead for a while now.

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. I didn't start reading those until Game of Thrones premiered on HBO.

Now for some really old school, Dragonlance by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. The fourth book came out years later and was fantastic. I have read more than a few of the side stories, but the main books are the best in my opinion, probably would not hold up well today.

Currently, I have The Martian by Andy Weir and Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan waiting for me to read.

The Five People You meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom is a book that I consider a must read. I don't consider it a spiritual book, but it did change my perspective on how I view my life in this world.

I'm reading Red Rising now, and I'm digging it (heh.) It's set on Mars, but it's far enough in the future that it's more fantasy than scifi. Much of the book gives off a Potteresque vibe to me, even if the plot sounds entirely different. There's also a lot of references to Greek and Roman mythology if you're a fan of that.

I also just read the Martian, which was really good (I guess I'm on a Mars kick.) It's basically the Hatchet but on Mars (it follows an Astronaut stranded on Mars having to survive.) I expected it to be sort of dry, but it was the opposite - extremely entertaining and often pretty hilarious.

From an economics perspective:

• Basic Economics, Thomas Sowell
  
• The Road to Serfdom, F. A. Hayek
  
• Wealth of Nations
  
  From a social perspective:
  
  
• The Conscience of a Conservative, Barry Goldwater
  
• On Liberty, John Stuart Mill
  
• The Gulag Archipelago, Alexander Solzhenitsyn
  
• The Undiscovered Self: The Dilemma of the Individual in Modern Society, Carl Jung
  
  From a moral perspective:
  
  
• Mere Christianity
  
• The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  
  There's many more than just these, and there's a lot of underlying philosophy that modern conservationism is based on. I'd also categorize these books as a basis for "intellectual conservatism" as opposed to say "cultural conservatism". Something to note is that little of the conservative mindset is focused on policy and politics, per se. There is instead a strong emphasis on personal action and collective culture, the value of morals, and a focus on introspection. So while these books will perhaps help you understand a conservative perspective better, they will not likely provide a good basis for engaging in political debate. For that maybe you want a book by Ben Shapiro or something.

Hi! My name is Dillon, awesome contest, thank you for doing this! George R.R. Mofoing Martin ( I didn't wanna swear) his first Game of Thrones book. I've wanted to read the rest of the books so bad but haven't had the money for them which is okay because I can watch the show but I have had a huge lust and love for medieval scifi and I have lost touch with reading books and I would love to start again so bad.

Aww this is very sweet of you! Thank you for the opportunity.

For me I would really like one because well, i'm a broke college student. I live on campus in a very small dorm room and have little room to store my actual books. I always thought an e-reader would solve that problem though. I've just never had the money to buy one. I've heard good things about both the Kindle and Nook from family members who own them! An e-reader would work perfectly because I could finally begin to read again! The lack of space prevents me from being able to purchase new books and find that little piece of happiness i've been missing.

A book I would really like to read is: A Game of Thrones - I'm dying to read this series before I dive into the television series. Because as readers know ... BOOKS ARE ALWAYS BETTER <3 Unfortunately the lack of space and cash prevents me from buying the collection.

Jules Verne - The Mysterious Island -> It's amazing how well the author is able to keep your attention throughout the book, when it's just 4 people trapped on a uninhabited island.

Daniel Quinn - Ishmael -> It raises some incredible viewpoints and questions. Very recommended.

Michael Crichton - Sphere -> A very entertaining read.

Clive Cussler - Atlantis Found -> I enjoyed his NUMA series a lot. It got me into reading.

Ira Levin - The Boys from Brazil -> This is kind of a historical fiction. I liked this book because I've always enjoyed reading about the WWII era.

Douglas Adams - The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy -> Very fun read

I am on chapter 4 of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. It is amazing how this novel from 1957 is coming true.

How can a state government require that a female be on every publicly traded board of Public Company! Is this America land of the free??? This has to be unconstitutional.

I have nothing against women, I would be just as concerned if it was "every board has to have a Italian, or Canadian on the board. This is government over stepping itself into the private sector. Yes we need laws to protect the environment or making sure people are not hurt on the job. To just say you need one women just because she is female?

​

Link to the book

https://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Shrugged-Ayn-Rand/dp/0451191145

​

Sorry I have to add to my rant.

I think the crab fishing industry is under represented by women also, So lets make a law that 20% of all crab fishing boats crews need to be female. Also the LGTB is under represented on public boards and crab fishing boats so we need to have one LGTB person on each crab boat and publicly traded board??

As I stated above, Laws for environment, health and safety of employees should be in place. This is pure 100% social engineering.

​

Ishmael - If you ever wondered what it would be like to be a telepathic gorilla, this will probably give you the closest answer.

The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking - The INTP Toolbox.

The Willpower Instinct - Because we all know we could use a bit more of it around here...

Emotional Vampires - A survival guide to protect your Fe

How To Create A Mind - Since it's ultimately the only thing we really seem to care about, it's interesting to think how we could theoretically create a 'backup' for it eventually

The Talent Code - In case you haven't quite figured out how to go about mastering skills yet.

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!

Joseph Campbell.


One key thing to remember: Campbell's work is descriptive, not prescriptive. What I mean is that he was describing and interpreting the trends that he found in mostly ancient folklore, myths, and legends. He had no intention of creating a formula for storytellers to refer to, although this is now common practice.


Also, "Star Wars closely follows the monomyth" is really not a topic. You need to answer the "So what?" question. Why did Lucas do that? Where does he deviate from the monomyth? How does he use these common trends to tell a unique story? How does it reflect the time in which it was produced? You don't have to answer all of these questions, but you do need to address something beyond simply plugging in Star Wars characters and situations where appropriate.


You should probably seek out the Joseph Campbell-Bill Moyers collaboration The Power of Myth*. Lots of libraries have a copy. It is much, much easier to digest than Campbell's original work, unless you are already familiar with a great number of myths and extensive academic terminology. The tv series by the same name is pretty good, as well. For a book that uses Campbell's monomyth but updates it with examples from modern media (and a prescriptive purpose), pick this up.


Source: Wrote master's thesis using Campbell scholarship as a resource.

If you want to get really frustrated with this idea of "forward progress", read The Big Ratchet.

If you want to read something more insightful and interesting, you might want to check out Daniel Quinn's books: Ishmael, My Ishmael and The Story of B. All 3 books contain the same ideas but within a slightly different story. I think my favorite is My Ishmael but they're all great.

Thanks for this exchange. This made my morning a little brighter.

Helpful term for you: bildungsroman, which is the "making of the man," and is often applied to training the hero stories.

Some fantasy bildungsromans you haven't named:

• Eragon by Christopher Paolini (farm boy finds a dragon, takes on evil empire). Gets a lot of hate for being so derivative, but obviously some people liked the escapism and easy reading.
  
• Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson (abused orphan finds out she has all the rare powers, gets involved in a coup). This one either fits your list perfectly or you'll hate it. I had trouble keeping the secondary characters straight and one of the later arcs is purely political.
  
• Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks (abused orphan trains to be an assassin)
  
• Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan (boy trains to be a ranger). These are more like children's books.
  
• Protector of the Small series by Tamora Pierce, where a girl trains to be a knight. It's marketed for girls, but every boy I've made read these books has loved them. (Inching towards children's books also.)
  
• Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb, about a king's bastard trained to be an assassin. Probably the best on this list for writing mechanics.

I ain't birthed no babies! XD

Pokemon and video games in general make me so happy and help me destress. :)

I recommend trying the Game of Thrones series. Happy Birfday!!!!!

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 can't recomend or say this enough.

You need to read three books:

1. Save The Cat. This book will give you the basics of how to write a script, and what points to follow.
   
   
2. Here With A Thousand Faces. This is the same information you would get in Save The Cat, however, it's way more involved. This book isn't about screenwriting, it's about story/myth and how we tell them. READ THIS BOOK!
   
   
3. The Power of Myth. Another book by Joseph Cambell, which explains why we tell stories the way we do, and why you should write your stories using the 'Hero's Journey' (see Hero With A Thousand Faces).
   
   It is important to learn these basics, as you need to learn to walk, before you can fly a fighter jet.
   
   Happy to answer any and all questions for you!!! But these books are a must!!! I read them all, and still have Hero & Power of Myth on my desk.

So here's some of the textbooks I read (and still own) from my Asian History courses at college. All are worth reading over, but you'll also want teachers to help you, to talk with historians from China, and eventually just to go to China and see a lot of stuff for yourself.

The Cambridge Illustrated History of China, by Patricia Ebrey.

Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook, edited by Patricia Ebrey.

Quotations from Mao Tse-Tung, written by the man himself.

Fiction:

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, by Dai Sijie.

The Outlaws of the Marsh, by Shi Nai'An and Sidney Shapiro.

The Three Body Problem, by Cixin Liu and Ken Liu.

These are a relatively good start to help you get a grounding in China's history. Everyone in this thread has also given some good suggestions. And visit /r/askhistorians; they'll have some better sources you can check out.

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

Heard on this week's episode of Chapo (Don't judge me).

Couple of excerpts from the WaPo article:



>In 2012, he helped three other Americans found a libertarian compound in the mountains, Galt’s Gulch, named for the fictional capitalist haven in Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged.” Cobin quickly split and founded a competing sustainable farm and libertarian compound, called Freedom Orchard.
>
>A brochure for the mountainside compound advertised an idyllic 400-unit paradise, where “liberty-loving people from all over the world” could enjoy low taxes, organic produce, and freedom from “intrusive and abusive government meddling.” One group, however, was not welcome on his orchard: liberals from the United States.

and



>In an undated video circulating on social media, Cobin had even spoken about eliminating the “communist plague."
>
>“When they show off machetes, we’ll have the most massive firearms legally allowed in this country, and shoot to kill,” he said. “Not shoot at their legs, [but] straight in the heart so no witnesses are left.”

​

There was also a Mother Jones profile written of him in 2014.

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.

If you'd chose Ayn then you aren't a very critical thinker. Even basic game theory destroys Rand's laissez-faire capitalism reasoning. Heck, the Prisoners Dilemma alone shows the difference between proximate best interests and ultimate best interests, and is solved via mandatory compliance enforced by a collectively represented agency (aka, a democratic government). Without it, the rich get richer and use their wealth to keep competitors down. It's the same story we've see throughout history where personal private interests take over control of a country for personal gain.

That there are still people convinced by Rand's economic immaturity just tells me that we need to move basic economics (including strategy and game theory) into high schools.

Edit: I cede the rest of my time to this book review (halfway down the page titled "Literary worthlessness only exceeded by its philosophical vapidness") (I don't see a way to link to a specific review.)

UW robbed me of my love for reading for fun.

A ~year after graduating, I was recommended Look Who's Back, which is a funny book about Hitler waking up in 2011, with no recollection on what happened.

It turned into a movie, and is a good/short read.

After that, I read:

• The metamorphosis (Kafka)
  
• Atlas Shrugged (Rand)
  
• Debt, the first 5000 Years (Graeber)
  
• Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage (Murakami)
  
• ...and a bunch of others
  
  I forgot how much I like spending an afternoon sipping coffee and reading a great book.

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.

(I realize this post is a little bit of a non-sequitur, kinda, but wanted to respond anyway)

You may find a lot of fun and interest in The Power of Myth. It sounds like you'd really enjoy it considering you have such an open mind, so-to-speak.

Going to try and post books that are related, but not actually "atheist".

Cosmos by Carl Sagan

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

The first one for obvious reasons. Sagan is the secular Jesus, and I'd say the second is an interesting read for anyone religious or otherwise, but I feel like it would be better received if you don't actually believe in Christianity. It's a great read though

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.

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've never read the books but would love to. I'd like the Kindle book.

Awwe your kids are so precious! Just adorable!!

For beginners?

Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World-- Time, Duality, Left Brain/Right Brain Dillema

Norwegian Wood-- Memory, death (and therefore life), music

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle-- Surrealism, Defilement, Water (if you didn't like Kafka, you might not like this. It's like two steps back on the weirdness scale but twice as long).

He is easily one of my favorite authors of all time and I personally think every single one of his books is fantastic. Granted, Kafka was the last one I read, and I had read so many others before it that I wasn't phased by all the weird shit that goes down.

In my opinion, Murakami is the type of author that everyone will find at least one of his books enjoyable. It might be Norweigian Wood for some, 1Q84 for others, and maybe even A Wild Sheep Chase or Dance, Dance, Dance for a someone else.

I think there are certain works of his that are basically you either "get" them or you don't. This isn't an intellegence/educational thing, it's more like you're in a different place emotionally. That's okay, though, because his body of work is so large, complex, and thought provoking that it touches upon a lot of variable subjects.

> impressive

Aw shucks, I don't know about that.

I'd been thinking a lot about Greek afterlife recently (because I've been thinking about the temple a lot and there are some really, really compelling parallels there).

I liked mythology when I was a kid. And when I was an undergrad I went back and read the 'classics' because I wanted to understand those myths - which gave me a great list of questions because beyond those myths and the popular culture I'd absorbed I had zero context for understanding the language and culture. So when I go back over a concept in Mormonism (or Judaism or Christianity or Islam) that doesn't make a lot of sense I look at the etymology of the words involved, read about it on Wikipedia, and ask questions.

Also here are some people who's work undergirds my own understanding

• Jospeh Campbell
  
  
• Carol Pearson
  
  
• E.A. Wallis Budge
  
  
• and Hugh Nibley (right?)

I'll second your first mention; the Farseer trilogy.

http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Apprentice-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/dp/055357339X

Take a look at the reviews for yourself.

It shares plenty of the things that made ASOIAF great - a cast of intriguing and well-written characters, excellent and extremely readable writing style, plenty of political play, an author unafraid to veer away from the 'standard' fare in terms of story...

It strikes me as bizarre I don't hear more about it around here, especially considering its popularity IRL.

Certainly a notch or two above the Kingkiller Chronicles in my book, although Name of the Wind was well worth a read.

I would recommend seeing the total picture of Objectivism, and seeing it is a superior ideology than libertarianism (or that Objectivism is in a way libertarianism, plus much, much, much more). Objectivism focuses on ethics, epistemology, and metaphysics which freedom absolutely depends on.

Atlas Shrugged
http://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Shrugged-Ayn-Rand/dp/0451191145

The Virtue of Selfishness
http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer?pagename=objectivism_nonfiction_the_virtue_of_selfishness

Capitalism The Unknown Ideal
http://www.amazon.com/Capitalism-Unknown-Ideal-Ayn-Rand/dp/0451147952

Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand
http://www.amazon.com/Objectivism-Philosophy-Rand-Library-Volume/dp/0452011019

There is a significant difference between libertarianism and Objectivism, and people need to look hard at both sides and choose.

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.

>That is the first book right?

Yep! Gardens of the Moon.

> I feel like i'm dropped in the middle and am just supposed to know who these characters are and whats going on.

That's exactly how Erikson writes. He drops you right in the middle of the story and says, "Figure it out, kids!"

And, as frustrating as that can be, you really do figure it out once you adapt to his writing style.

See - I think too often in fantasy we're forced to follow a helpless character who is figuring the world out. I mean, it's a pretty common tactic for exposition: you don't know anything about the world you're entering, and as a reader you are traditionally supposed to relate to the protagonist. So the best way to introduce you to the world is to take the protagonist and introduce him to the world.

That's how KingKiller is written, that's how Locke Lamora is written, that's how Mistborn is written, it's how HP is written...it's how nearly every book with a first-person narrative is written.

Now, for third-person fantasy, GRRM makes it easy on the reader by designating who he is following with each chapter in ASoIaF.

Erikson doesn't hold your hand like that. He just writes. And, trust me, it's a change in style, but very well worth it.

Don't get me wrong - you don't have to enjoy the Malazan series. No one is obliged to. But I can definitely relate to the frustration on trying to get into the series. It's not an easy read (at first).

But (and I sound like a broken record here) what helped me was this character sheet and even some fanart from YapAttack (I don't really like his style, but it's good to see other perspectives for characters - he's also pretty active on /r/Malazan).

I'm actually looking forward to a re-read of the series now that I know what's going on. I think I'll enjoy it much more, and I'll pick up on details that I missed. But it'll take some time.

Now I typically need a "break" after reading one book in the Malazan series.

I just did a re-read of KKC, actually!

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 just looked it up (I was in bed last night when I posted the previous message) and it seems Birthday Girl is in the Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman collection. So if you want more short fiction that's probably the best route to go.

If you're interested in jumping right into a novel, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is one of his most generally well received novels and a good place to start for some of the signature Murakami weirdness. Kafka on the Shore would be a great choice as well, and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is many Murakami readers' favorite novel of his, but I haven't read either of those yet so I'm more hesitant to recommend them.

I'd suggest reading the blurb of each and picking the story that sounds like it'd appeal to you most.

I've heard great things about the Farseer series, and would love the first - used is fine. And I hope you have a fabulous evening!

If you want to jump into well-recognized contemporary works of fantasy, I highly suggest you have a go at Haruki Murakami's Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. This book earned him praise all over the world from those highbrows you speak of.

It's not technically "low fantasy", and it's more like one (thick) book than a series, which could be described as a mix of cyberpunk and high fantasy.

So yeah. Probably not what you're looking for. A pretty damn fine book nonetheless (the rest of his work is also awesome btw)

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.

books that i have read that you may enjoy.
"The Children of Odin"

"Myths of the Norsemen"

"The Poetic Edda"

"The Younger Edda"

also the AFA has some great recommendations on the Website

Enjoy! :)

I definitely want to recommend one I just finished: Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of The World. Without spoiling anything, think along the lines of Inception. Absolutely one of the best books I've ever read.

If you enjoyed The Hunger Games, you'll probably like The Bartimaeus Trilogy (this links to book 1). Has a more Harry Potter feeling to it but the humor is so well done. Really fun read.

Not a pagan, but I have read the Poetic Edda (Hollander's edition) after being inspired by the works of JRR Tolkien and his son Christopher's excellent commentaries on them. The Edda is really awesome.

There is also the Prose Edda, and I would recommend The Sagas of Icelanders

I would highly recommended this book as an introduction to Norse mythology. It's easy to read without being dumbed down, and it's very fun and engaging. Really fantastic read.

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.

Hey Bean! I love that you want to honor your mom this way, and not just because of the gifting. I also love that my mom, whilst hating my father more than she'll admit, tries so hard to help my sister and I. plus, she's taking me to disney world with my girlfriend.

Link!

Check out Red Rising By Pierce Brown, who is a much better author than I will ever be. Martians, super soldiers, twist endings, pretty awesome stuff.

Books! I feel like this is my element! Can I suggest multiple books or does that not count?

You can never go wrong with A Song of Ice and Fire (which starts with the book, A Game of Thrones) if you haven't read it yet.

These next two I got for free from Amazon as part of the Kindle First program, and I really liked both of them! They're both the first books in their respective series, so I haven't got around to reading the rest of the books in each series but they have potential.

The Paper Magician is about a girl who has just graduated from Magician School, and has been sent off to do her apprenticeship with a paper magician, who only works magic through paper. The girl is a little miffed as she doesn't think paper magic has any worth.

The Line is about a girl who is the only non-magical member in her family of extremely powerful witches who live in Savannah, GA.

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:)

There's always Vilya(the prettiest of the Great Rings in my opinion), although rings could be misinterpreted ;)

Also, if she doesn't have it, may I recommend this gorgeous tome?

> Questions of fate, duality, and loyalty, evolve in a cruel test of war... By turns brutal and heartfelt, Red Rising is nonstop action with surprising twists and unforgettable characters.

Not even close to the right book, but it almost fits! :)

In seriousness, here's what the OP refers to... from the year (2012) it might be outdated but looks worth reading for fans and has a great cover!

http://www.amazon.com/Red-Rising-Washington-Capitals-Story/dp/1770411054/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451281550&sr=8-1

I'm sorry your husband upset you this morning. Guys have a tendency to do that on occasion. :hugs:

My husband and I are rewatching the seasons of Game of Thrones again in preparation for the next season, and we were talking about how great the show is, and how we haven't read the books.

• I suppose since we haven't read them yet, the most logical place to start would be with the first book, right?
  
  
• e~book or physical book is fine. Used is great! Either way, my husband and I will read it together. I have a Kindle, my husband prefers physical books because he doesn't have a Kindle, but we can read aloud to each other with either format.
  
  
• Your kids are adorable!! I'd say that anyway, even without a contest. <3
  
  Thank you for the contest. :)

The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell.

It changed my intellectual landscape at a young age. It's about comparative mythology, but it will open your world to the intellectual curiosities of art, religion, sociology, anthropology, mysticism, metaphysics and much more. A beautiful, eye-opening read.

I would have to say without a doubt it would be Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. It is a very short but unforgettable novel that puts the fall of man into such a precise perspective its nearly impossible to contend it.

Quinn is an amazing writer and I really would recommend anything by him.

binjinpurj: ^^original ^^reddit ^^link

I would have to say without a doubt it would be Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. It is a very short but unforgettable novel that puts the fall of man into such a precise perspective its nearly impossible to contend it.

Quinn is an amazing writer and I really would recommend anything by him.

If you are ok with a single volume edition, then this is the best one I've personally owned.

http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-50th-Anniversary/dp/0618517650/

Apparently there are two different versions floating around, one dark grey and the other dark blue.

I bought mine from Amazon about a year ago and mine looked like this one.

http://www.tolkienshop.com/contents/media/l_0618517650.jpg


Seems like there's a chance you could end up with this one though.


http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sDyVK11tleE/TluXdELWPZI/AAAAAAAACNc/OmTCQqFsJ54/s1600/1.png

My name is Kayla. :) and my favorite books are the ASOFAI books. All of them. I love them and the show so much. I flew througb the first three. I just couldn't put them down. They made me laugh, they made me cry, they made rage, and they made me feel good about myself. I am so glad I discovered these books. I will continue to reread them until I am an old, withered woman yelling at passerbys, "WINTER IS COMING!" :)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000QCS8TW/ref=mp_s_a_1_sc_3?qid=1370565099&sr=8-3-spell&pi=SL75

Great! I have, elsewhere: this one is the best that I know of. It's recent, has helpful notes, and preserves the humorous tone admirably.

Edit: I just realized how retarded I am and that you were looking for 2016 books. Sorry about that. These are all relatively new though, and great reads.

I see you read Dalzelle's Black fleet trilogy. For something similar but with better tactics, an interesting perspective on differences in technology advancement, and a more expeditionary style conflict, including actual interactions with alien beings, try Evan Currie's Odyssey One series.

Another good Mil-Scifi is Michael Hicks In Her Name series. I've linked the last of the books chronologically but they were the first published and how I read them; so I feel its a good introduction to the series. It focuses on the main character who plays a central role in the human's conflict with a race of blue skinned, Amazonian-like warriors who prefer close quarters combat despite technological superiority(sounds cheesy I know, but the character and culture development is very well done). The middle trilogy is much more military oriented but focuses less on open space naval battles and more on ground battles across multiple planets. The "first," newest trilogy, chronicles the establishment of the Empire that humans are at war with (I haven't read this one yet). The series has some elements of science fantasy, which is all I can say without giving away too much.

My most recent favorite and I can't recommend enough is Pierce Brown's Red Rising trilogy. It's kind of hard to pin down this one into a specific genre. It seems like it would be YA, but it is not. It has eugenics, enhanced humans, an interesting caste system, space battles, ground battles, high technology, low technology, decent character development, and just a ton of other elements. It's sort of Game of Thrones meets Hunger Games meets Harry Potter meets Brave New World meets Roman history in space. It is very well told and is a New York Times best seller for good reason.

Here are some quick recommendations from my list of favorites for those who are interested (I hope mods are OK with links to make looking easier, otherwise I'll happily remove them). These books engaged and inspired me and my imagination:

The Alchemist:

>The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho continues to change the lives of its readers forever. With more than two million copies sold around the world, The Alchemist has established itself as a modern classic, universally admired.

>Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found.

The Three Body Problem is a Chinese Science Fiction novel that has recently become popular in the West thanks to a good translation (I recommend reading my synopsis and not the Amazon one, to avoid spoilers):

>Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project looks for signals in space from alien civilizations. Meanwhile, in the present day, a physicist joins a grizzled detective to investigate why famous scientists are all committing suicide.

Fahrenheit 451:

>Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden.

The Art of Happiness (by the Dalai Lama):

>Nearly every time you see him, he's laughing, or at least smiling. And he makes everyone else around him feel like smiling. He's the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, a Nobel Prize winner, and a hugely sought-after speaker and statesman. Why is he so popular? Even after spending only a few minutes in his presence you can't help feeling happier.

Snow Crash:

>Hiro Protagonist delivers pizza for Uncle Enzo’s CosoNostra Pizza Inc., but in the Metaverse he’s a warrior prince. Plunging headlong into the enigma of a new computer virus that’s striking down hackers everywhere, he races along the neon-lit streets on a search-and-destroy mission for the shadowy virtual villain threatening to bring about infocalypse.

It's a little dry but you might check out The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell. It covers a lot of ground, talks about the common themes in all of the worlds religions. Very enlightening stuff.

There's also a video version out there somewhere which covers most of the major stuff. We got to watch it in HS & it's pretty cool.

You seem to enjoy a lot of YA dystopian sci-fi series - Hunger Games, Divergent, etc. You should definitely try the Red Rising trilogy. It is more graphic and adult oriented, but with similar themes. Plus, the final book of the trilogy comes out in a month or two, which would be pretty perfect for you if you time it right!

I've read it and it's pretty good, if you like romantic comedies.

Try this.

https://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Shrugged-Ayn-Rand/dp/0451191145

Here's "the most complete" fan-made world map to date. GRRM said that, with the information we have from the books that are out, this is most likely the best a fan could come up with.

Looking for an official world map? George is releasing one this October!

Information dug up from this thread that was posted about 5 days ago. Hope that helps.

John Howe's maps of Middle-earth (available in a big box set) are pretty good, and his map of Middle-earth is definitive as far as I'm concerned.

Jonathan Roberts created a set of maps for A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones called The Lands of Ice and Fire which are excellent. I have the big map of the entire world on my wall.

Terry Pratchett has a whole set of maps for his Discworld books, including the entire Discworld itself and the city of Ankh-Morpork (both twice, in fact, in The Streets of Ankh-Morpork, The Compleat Ankh-Morpork, The Discworld Mapp and The Compleat Discworld Atlas).

You can buy a map of Roshar from Brandon Sanderson's website and one of Temerant from the Worldbuilders Store.

Not quite as grandiose as ASOIAF but might be a shade of what you're looking for is Joe Abercrombie's series The First Law

I found them to be a fun read, it doesn't span quite as many characters as does ASOIAF, but Abercrombie has about as much sympathy for his characters as Martin does, and many of their stories do tend to meet and intersect. 3rd book throws a few curveballs in there as well. Might be worth your while to check out.

• Economics in One Lesson, by Henry Hazlitt
  
  
• The Law, by Frederic Bastiat
  
  
• A Theory of Socialism and Capitalism, by Hans-Hermann Hoppe
  
  
• Human Action, by Ludwig von Mises
  
  
• The Ethics of Liberty, by Murray N. Rothbard
  
  
• The Free Market Reader: Essay in the Economics of Liberty, by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, ed.
  
  
• Capitalism and Freedom, by Milton Friedman
  
  
• Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand
  
  
• The Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith
  
  
• The Constitution of Liberty, by F. A. Hayek
  
  
• Basic Economics: A Citizens Guide to the Economy, by Thomas Sowell
  
  
• Democracy in America, by Alexis de Tocqueville
  
  
• Anthem, by Ayn Rand
  
  
• A Nation of Sheep, by Andrew P. Napolitano
  
  
• Meltdown, by Thomas E. Woods
  
  
• Liberalism, by Ludwig von Mises
  
  
• A Foreign Policy of Freedom, by Ron Paul
  
  
• Rules for Radicals, by Saul Salinsky
  
  
• Blowback, by Chalmers Johnson
  
  
• Liberty Defined, by Ron Paul
  
  
• With Liberty and Justice for Some, by Glenn Greenwald
  
  
• We Who Dared to Say No to War, by Murray Polner and Thomas E. Woods, Eds.

Disregard all other posts.

There is precisely ONE fantasy author/series on the planet in the same league as Martin.

Steven Erikson, The Malazan Book of the Fallen. Volume 1 is titled Gardens of the Moon.

It's vast, it's intricate, there's conspiracies and politics, there's elder gods, upstart gods, brilliant generals, footsoldiers, tribal warriors, ancient unhuman races, assassins, emperors, high mages, shamans, ancient undead unhuman tribal warrior shamans (no really)... dark and gritty, laced with gallows humour and surprising emotional engagement in places.

Oh, and I'm pretty sure it's available as an ebook. Buy it legit, this fucking genius deserves the money.

It's breathtaking. If you've ever read The Black Company, imagine it multiplied by Ice and Fire. If not, then hold onto your hat, it's going to be one hell of a ride.

I don't think it's a question of whether or not you can think deeply.

When seeing layers of meaning in something, like a book, it usually helps if someone has a lot of the foundational information that the author draws upon in order to craft his/her stories.

Books don't form in a vacuum. They are derived from a lot of influences in the writer's life. Those influences, in turn, are affected by the history of the culture in which the person is living as well as current happenings.

Have you ever read any Joseph Campbell?

http://www.jcf.org/new/index.php

Many of his works on the Archtypes found in story telling and history can really help you understand the intellectual and emotional underpinnings of most human art.


http://www.amazon.com/The-Power-Myth-Joseph-Campbell/dp/0385418868

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami.

Had to stop myself in multiple parts for different reasons. Either “I feel odd” or “that was oddly uncomfortable” or at one specific part “I might vomit holy shit” (but in a good way).

Haruki Murakami is like the Stephen King of being surreal as fuck. If you have never read one of his books I would recommend reading another one before you read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. It's easily the most surreal thing I have ever read.

I recommend starting with either
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End of The World
or
A Wild Sheep Chase

then follow with The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle


They are all very surreal and weird and fun to read.

If you're in for some fiction I recommend The Brothers Karamazov which is a classic read and highly influenced by Dostoevsky's faith. Laurus by Eugene Vodolazkin is a short, modern work and also a great work of fiction influenced by faith.

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!

The Alchemist

here's an excerpt from one of it's reviews:
>More parable than novel, "The Alchemist" uses the story of young shepherd Santiago's search for his Personal Legend as an allegory for everyman's struggle to break from the comfortable confines of conformity and pursue his life dreams. Along the way, of course, our young everyman is beset by all manner of setbacks, testing his resolve and forcing him to become attuned to the Soul of the World in order to survive. By paying attention to the details in the world around him, which serve as omens guiding him towards his goal, young Santiago becomes an alchemist in his own right, spinning unfavorable circumstances into riches.

If you like Game of Thrones and maps, you should check out "the Lands of Ice and Fire". It's an official map pack and they look great on walls. Amazon link (just 23,43$ right now)

Great collection btw!

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

I'd love to start the Game of Thrones series. Haven't seen it nor read it. It'll be exciting to finally get what everyone is talking about.

Drama llama!

Thanks for the contest!

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influence_People

If you want to merge classics with philosophy then I strongly recommend The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. I also would suggest using this translation of the book.

After reading your whole post, you seem to be doing the right thing by continuing to participate in a church community. We were created to live, share, love, and serve together and having that socially integrated approach to faith is a very good place to start.

That being said, and to answer your question as posted: to the library or bookstore. That is where you should go from here. Some recommendations if I may:

• Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton.
  
• The Brothers Karmazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
  
• Fear and Trembling by Soren Kierkegaard.
  
• The Problem of Pain by CS Lewis.

Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson

The first book in a pretty epic series (more than 10 books). Books are awesome, if a bit long-winded at times. Giant empire, rebellion, magic...lots going on in this complex book and series. The author has a degree in archaeology or something so all the history in the world Erikson creates goes back "hundreds of millenia."

I highly recommend this book even if it does get a little dry in spots.

You might like the Farseer trilogy by Robin Hobb. The main character is a lawful good ranger/assassin with animal companions. Quite good IMO.

http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Apprentice-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/dp/055357339X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_c

In the not quite fantasy department, I recommend the Grail Quest trilogy by Bernard Cornwell. Totally kick-ass archer main character in the gritty world of the hundred years war. Best archery porn evar.

http://www.amazon.com/Archers-Tale-Grail-Quest-Book/dp/0060935766/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318509234&sr=1-2

If you're interested in an in-depth analysis of this phenomenon and the role of mythology in the development of Judeo-Christian faiths, I recommend you look into reading anything and everything you can ever get your hands on by Joseph Campbell. I specifically recommend The Power of Myth and The Masks of God series.

Joseph Campbell was himself very spiritual and has a very unique and insightful way of thinking about religion.

Zombies: A Record of the Year of Infection
Don Roff, Chris Lane

Day by Day Armageddon
J. L. Bourne

Day by Day Armageddon: Beyond Exile
J. L. Bourne

Earth Abides
George R. Stewart

Swan Song
Robert McCammon

The Road
Cormac McCarthy

edit: This covers a good array of subjects on different ways the world might perish. All fiction also.

Books

• Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks. A great read that will forever fuel zombie conversations in the future.
  
• World War Z by Max Brooks. A well done recount of the zombie war that nearly wiped humans off the planet.
  
• Day By Day Armageddon by J. L. Bourne. A compelling diary-style account from the beginning of a zombie apocalypse.
  
• Beyond Exile by J. L. Bourne. A sequel that picks up right where Day By Day left off.
  
• The Zombie Combat Manual by Roger Ma. Meh. Just a cash-in on Max Brooks' great work with the survival guide.
  
• U.S. Army Zombie Combat Skills by 'Dept. of the Army'. Lame. About as fun to read as a roll of toilet paper.

This excerpt references several anecdotes given earlier in the chapter. I'll post them here if you're interested.

>People talk sometimes of bestial cruelty, but that's a great injustice and insult to the beasts; a beast can never be so cruel as a man, so artistically cruel. The tiger only tears and gnaws, that's all he can do. He would never think of nailing people by the ears, even if he were able to do it. These Turks took a pleasure in torturing children, -too; cutting the unborn child from the mothers womb, and tossing babies up in the air and catching them on the points of their bayonets before their mothers' eyes. Doing it before the mothers' eyes was what gave zest to the amusement. Here is another scene that I thought very interesting. Imagine a trembling mother with her baby in her arms, a circle of invading Turks around her. They've planned a diversion: they pet the baby, laugh to make it laugh. They succeed, the baby laughs. At that moment a Turk points a pistol four inches from the baby's face. The baby laughs with glee, holds out its little hands to the pistol, and he pulls the trigger in the baby's face and blows out its brains. Artistic, wasn't it?

and another

>This poor child of five was subjected to every possible torture by those cultivated parents. They beat her, thrashed her, kicked her for no reason till her body was one bruise. Then, they went to greater refinements of cruelty- shut her up all night in the cold and frost in a privy, and because she didn't ask to be taken up at night (as though a child of five sleeping its angelic, sound sleep could be trained to wake and ask), they smeared her face and filled her mouth with excrement, and it was her mother, her mother did this. And that mother could sleep, hearing the poor child's groans! Can you understand why a little creature, who can't even understand what's done to her, should beat her little aching heart with her tiny fist in the dark and the cold, and weep her meek unresentful tears to dear, kind God to protect her? Do you understand that, friend and brother, you pious and humble novice? Do you understand why this infamy must be and is permitted? Without it, I am told, man could not have existed on earth, for he could not have known good and evil. Why should he know that diabolical good and evil when it costs so much? Why, the whole world of knowledge is not worth that child's prayer to dear, kind God'!

The entire chapter online

The book on Amazon

I have that big poster in my room, as well as a Braavos map and another one of the whole world.

They came in an awesome pack, I have like another 4 - 5 that didn't fit on my walls :)

EDIT: I think it's this one http://www.amazon.com/Lands-Ice-Fire-Game-Thrones/dp/0345538544

https://www.amazon.com/Day-Armageddon-J-L-Bourne/dp/1439176671

​

Used to be online in a kind of "blog" or journal format, but since been made into books (haven't really had a chance to read the sequels). If I had to guess, the author is either ex military or did a ton of research because he seems to know a lot about small arms and flying planes. Very detailed and methodical approach to surviving a zombie apocalypse. Loved every second of it!

Prince of Nothing
Set in the middle of a holy war and on the verge of an apocalypse. Written by a philosophy/anthropology professor iirc, and it shows. Very good.

Sword of Shadows
4 books so far
Dark and gritty. No dragons or talking swords or whatever. So far pretty consistently good.

Malazan Book of the Fallen
Probably the best fantasy books i've ever read. The first isn't that good, but after that it takes off in quality, especially books 3 5 6. They're large complex novels with very little exposition, and some people despise that. Just to give you an idea, there are literally dozens of POVs throughout the series, and many many more meaningful characters. It's mind-boggling.

The author, Erikson, is a beast. He's been writing 1 major book a year since '99 plus 4 minor novels. The last will be released next year, and so far they're all been excellent.

Grab yourself a copy of Good Omens. One of the running jokes is that any cassette in the demon's car for more than a fortnight will turn into Queen.

>Somewhere around Chiswick, Aziraphale scrabbled vaguely in the scree of tapes in the glove compartment.

>“What’s a Velvet Underground?” he said.

>“You wouldn’t like it,” said Crowley.

>“Oh,” said the angel dismissively. “Be-bop.”

>“Do you know, Aziraphale, that probably if a million human beings were asked to describe modern music, they wouldn’t use the term ‘be-bop’?” said Crowley.

>“Ah, this is more like it. Tchaikovsky,” said Aziraphale, opening a case and slotting its cassette into the Blaupunkt.

>“You won’t enjoy it,” sighed Crowley. “It’s been in the car for more than a fortnight.”

>A heavy bass beat began to thump the Bentley as they sped past Heathrow.

>Aziraphale’s brow furrowed.

>“I don’t recognize this,” he said. “What is it?”

>“It’s Tchaikovsky’s ‘Another One Bites the Dust,'” said Crowley, closing his eyes as they went through Slough.

>To while away the time as they crossed the sleeping Chilterns, they also listened to William Byrd’s “We Are the Champions” and Beethoven’s “I Want To Break Free.” Neither were as good as Vaughan Williams’s “Fat-Bottomed Girls.”

Yeah, it’s definitely women screwing dinosaurs.

https://www.amazon.com/Taken-T-Rex-Dinosaur-Erotica-Christie-ebook/dp/B00FI9JFFO/ref=nodl_

“Description
Drin is her tribe’s chief huntress; she lives for the thrill of the hunt. Men and sex hold no allure for her, as Drin has never found a partner to satisfy her. When a T-Rex descends upon her village, destroying it, Drin demands that the tribe’s hunters go in search of the beast and slaughter it. Opting for safety instead of revenge, the tribe moves to a new location, hoping that the big beast won’t follow them.

It does.

Drin taunts the beast, giving her tribes mates time to flee. As she runs, leading it through a gauntlet of traps, the thrill of the hunt soars through her blood, leaving her wet with desire. When the angry T-Rex corners the huntress in a box canyon, it seems more interested in her wet womanhood than in her flesh.”

False : the best romance novel title is "Taken By The T-Rex"
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00FI9JFFO?pc_redir=1395938575&robot_redir=1

Ishmael, I sometimes hate recommending this book because of the tag "adventure of mind and spirit" but it's a very good and fascinating take on the anthropological origins of our civilization.

A quick browse of my bookshelf and the ones that jumped out at me... some nonfiction, some fiction... some light, some heavy...

The Culture of Contentment by John Galbraith

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Pimp by Iceberg Slim

The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris

Bloom County Babylon by Berkeley Breathed

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo

Turned On: A Biography of Henry Rollins by James Parker

Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Beyond that, my most prized book is my hardback Norton Anthology of English Lit (2nd vol - the 'modern' stuff).

Thanks for the trip down memory lane! I'm def curling up with a good one when I hit the hay!

The prose edda is pretty good, penguin has a print of it you can get off of amazon for pretty cheap. https://www.amazon.com/Prose-Edda-Mythology-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140447555

I got the first book in The Malazan Book of the Fallen series, Gardens of the Moon. I've been enjoying it so far. I'll probably be reading this series for a good bit of time considering it has ten books in the entire series.

I also got gifted some DotA 2 cosmetics from friends, and three steam games (one of which was Dark Souls 2! :D) which was nice.