(Part 2) Best products from r/suggestmeabook

Hello, Brother!

Okay, so if it's non-fiction you want, then I know just what you need.

If you want a good overview, Mysterious America by Loren Coleman, who's more or less the godfather of cryptozoology, is a superb first entry for anybody interested in cryptozoology. I especially liked the sections on "Panthera Atrox." There are sections on phantom ships and other more mystical elements of the Fortean, and some might find its focus on North America a bit limited, but I'd still recommend it.

Mysterious America: The Ultimate Guide to the Nation's Weirdest Wonders, Strangest Spots, and Creepiest Creatures

I'd also recommend Coleman's "field guides." These don't go into quite as much detail as Mysterious America, but they do provide a rather intriguing look at the diversity in sightings of animals that do not belong. The Field Guide to Bigfoot and Other Mystery Primates and The Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents and Other Mystery Denizens of the Deep are useful, as is the similar, if somewhat dated, Cryptozoology A To Z: The Encyclopedia of Loch Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras, and Other Authentic Mysteries of Nature.

The Field Guide to Bigfoot and Other Mystery Primates

The Field Guide to Lake Monsters, Sea Serpents and Other Mystery Denizens of the Deep

Cryptozoology A To Z: The Encyclopedia of Loch Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras, and Other Authentic Mysteries of Nature

Coleman's written some other books as well, focused on individual cryptids. Bigfoot: The True Story of Apes in America and Mothman and Other Curious Encounters are among the most notable.

Bigfoot: The True Story of Apes in America

Mothman and Other Curious Encounters

Moving on, I found another book that functions as a good overview of cryptozoology is Jerome Clark's Unexplained!: Strange Sightings, Incredible Occurrences, and Puzzling Physical Phenomena. Clark gets into a bit more Fortean elements than Coleman does, but his book also includes some cryptids that Coleman rarely pays attention to--including living dinosaurs.

Unexplained!: Strange Sightings, Incredible Occurrences, and Puzzling Physical Phenomena

If you have a particular taste for feline cryptids--surviving Panthera Artox, surviving saber-toothed cats, whatever the heck the ones is--then I must recommend the writings of Karl Shuker. Shuker is a prolific writer, and to list his books would take up a lot more space, but if I had to choose one, I'd recommend Extraordinary Animals.

Extraordinary Animals: Revisited

You didn't mention whether you were an American, but Stackpole Books has a "Monsters Of" series that has the folklore of individual states in the United States.

Following up on that, if you live in California, or if you have a fondness for sea monsters, then you may also like the book Mysterious Sea Monsters of California's Central Coast.

Mysterious Sea Monsters of California's Central Coast

Now, I know you said you weren't looking for novels, but if you have kids of your own, or you have younger relatives who might like the material, there's always the works of Roland Smith. Sasquatch and the "Cryptid Quartet" which includes Cryptid Hunters, Tentacles, Chupacabra, and Mutation are all great reads for middle readers, or for the young at heart.

Sasquatch

Cryptid Hunters

Tentacles

Chupacabra

Mutation

NON-FICTION:

• The first one I'd choose is Science: The Definitive Visual Guide which is more like a textbook than a conventional book (that gets recommended here). However, it's over four hundred pages long and pretty informative/interesting.
  
• Bad Science by Ben Goldacre which goes into a fair bit of detail on things like the MMR Vaccine Hoax and the true properties of the placebo effect as well as providing an unbiased summary of the evidence for/against the effectiveness of homoeopathic "remedies".
  
• Tricks of the Mind by Derren Brown which, like Bad Science, has a good few chapters on "debunking" pseudo-science but also explains things like hypnosis, muscle reading and memory improvement techniques such as the Method of Loci (which has featured in BBC's Sherlock, amongst other things). Although, the book is party autobiographical so if you're not interested in Derren Brown to begin with then you may want to avoid it (or at least watch some of his TV shows first.
  
• The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins which I'll admit I picked specifically because it's rather controversial; but, at the same time, it deals with pretty complex moral issues and gets discussed a lot on Reddit.
  
  Although, you can almost tell by reading it that it's written by an aged Oxbridge professor of some obscure subject as he uses words like "capricious" and terms like "Keynesian" which does come across as rather pretentious.
  
  
  FICTION:
  
  
• Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal by Thomas Harris are all quite good, but, if I had to choose between them, I'd probably pick The Silence of the Lambs as the storyline's a bit more unique (in the sense that Red Dragon's a bit like other detective/thrillers).
  
  I feel I should also add here that there's a fourth book in this series called Hannibal Rising that's just rotten and apparently was only written because Dino De Laurentiis owned the film rights to the character Hannibal Lecter and said he was going to make a prequel regardless of whether or not Harris wrote the book. I'd highly discourage anyone from reading this book as it's utter garbage.
  
  
• Sherlock Holmes Novels and Short Stories which contain some outdated terms as well as drug use, casual racism and the treatment of Phrenology as a scientific discipline (as it was at the time). But, despite this, I think it's fair to say that it's some of the most highly regarded detective fiction of all time (so far).
  
  I'd probably recommend not starting with A Study In Scarlet as it's structured completely differently to all the other novels/stories (as it sort of jumps back in time to previous events). At the very least I'd say that if you did start with A Study In Scarlet and didn't like it you should try reading at least one of the short stories before giving up altogether.
  
  
• I-Robot by Isaac Asimov is pretty good if, like me, you like to kind of dabble in Science Fiction but never quite get into it in a big way as it's presented as a series of nine interconnected short stories (of which my personal favourite is Reason as it reads like existentialist philosophy - and would probably give you a brain-gasm if you read it whilst high on something).
  
  
• Oh, and 1984 by George Orwell 'cause it's on almost every list of "must read" books ever written. Also, it's pretty damn good.
  
  EDIT: Also, if anyone's looking for free ebooks feel free to message me and I can give you links to TOR hidden websites

I love hip hop and read a ton of books. Unfortunately the genre's literary canon isn't particularly spectacular. Here is a list of a few books that are actually really good reads on hip hop.

Ego Trip's Big Book of Rap Lists Tons of trivia and a great balance of being informative and entertaining/funny. It's clear that all the contributors really love hip hop. It was written in 1999 and primarily focuses on stuff from 1988-1996, which is totally fine by me.

Check the Technique Rappers and producers giving a track-by-track analysis of their classic albums. Quality of individual chapters is somewhat contingent on the rapper's writing ability and willingness to share (Slick Rick's portion was unfortunately pretty lacking in detail) but there are some gems. Features the Wu-Tang Clan, Tribe Called Quest, the Roots, and a lot more. The sequel was just released in November (featuring 3rd Bass, Company Flow, Ice Cube, among others) and I thoroughly enjoyed that one too.

The Big Payback If you have any interest in the history of the business of hip hop. Traces everything from Rapper's Delight to the present. A long read that is only worth seeking out if you care about the business of the genre, but if you find that appealing you will really enjoy it.

Hip Hop Family Tree Comic series about history of rap. I don't know how far the artist plans to go but right now he has completed 1977-1983. A lot of history and it looks good too.

How to Rap About the craft of rhyming from the rappers themselves. Features contributions from Kool G Rap, Q-Tip, Pharoahe Monch, Chuck D, and others. I liked this one more than Book of Rhymes which touches upon similar subjects. How to Rap 2 is also very good and touches upon some advanced flow concepts.

Oh man, read the Rook by Daniel O'Malley. It didn't get a lot of attention, but it's one of the best books I've read in the last couple of years and definitely my favorite female protagonist in the genre.

It's written in first-person, and being inside the main character's head is a blast. Said character, Myfanwy, is a high-level beuracrat in an organization devoted to protecting the world from supernatural stuff, kind of similar to Dresden's White Council but more technologically advanced and with a broader range of abilities. Not the most original-sounding premise, but it's a pretty unique take. The book starts with Myfanwy having lost her memory, however, and her only hints about her previous life come from copious notes left to her by... herself.

The main character is super likeable and her trying to hide the fact that she has no idea what's going on is often hilarious. There's also a really interesting dynamic where Myfanwy is getting to know her previous self through the notes and starts to form a kind of (obviously one-sided) friendship/understanding with her.

Anyway, this is the second time I've recommended this book today. I promise I'm not the author or anything, but I can't recommend it enough.

First and foremost, 48 Laws of Power. It will show you 100+ ways other people have tried and where they failed and succeeded. It's a great introduction. Get this first.

A lot for these are free on gutenberg.org

Meditations - On being ethical and virtuous in a position of power.


33 strategies of war - A great companion to the 48 laws.

Art of war - Ancient Chinese text on war and power. All but covered in 48 laws.

Hagakure - Japanese text on war and power. All but covered in 48 laws.

On war - Military strategy from Napoleonic era. All but covered in 48 laws.

Rise of Theodore Roosevelt - Amazing book.

Seeking Wisdom from Darwin to Munger - Abstract thought models and logic patterns of highly successful people.

The Obstacle is the Way - Not labeled a book on power, more like thriving during struggle, which is important to a leader.

Machiavelli: The Prince - Pretty much the opposite of meditations. All but covered in 48 laws.


Also, here's a good TED talk on why power/civics is important to study: http://www.ted.com/talks/eric_liu_why_ordinary_people_need_to_understand_power?language=en


If you've gone over these and want something more specialized, I can probably help.

Are you planning on taking us over with force or charm?

I really enjoyed Jacqueline Carey's Santa Olivia. There's some odd sci-fi stuff thrown into her sexuality, but the main character pursues a relationship with another woman. There's definitely a healthy dose of romance, but it's not the main focus.

I'm a lesbian, and I tend to prefer female protagonists but I also don't enjoy when romance is the focus of the story. I didn't feel that was the case with this book, it's genre is some combination of sci-fi, superhero, and sport story.

The sequel takes a quick turn for the worse, however. It's like Carey saved all of the romance stuff for the sequel, and it's almost plotless fluff. I didn't like it all. That said, the first one is very self-contained and didn't need a sequel to begin with.

On a side note, one of my favorite books with a female protagonist is the Rook. The main character probably isn't gay, but there's pretty much no romantic elements to the story, which I love. She has a lot bigger things on her mind, and I don't think the topic even comes up more than once.

Root For The Villain: Rap, Bull$hit, and a Celebration of Failure by J-Zone (who, if you're familiar with his music, is equally funny in his book)

Hip Hop Family Tree by Ed Piskor (it's a graphic novel focusing on the early days of hip hop done in the style of 90s Image comics)

How to Rap: The Art and Science of the Hip-Hop MC by Paul Edwards (this is full of interviews with some of the greatest of all time discussing every single aspect of rapping)

The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop by Dan Charnas (haven't read this one yet, but I've heard great things about it.)

Also, if you're interested in books on specific albums, the 33 1/3 series has quite a few: Illmatic, Paul's Boutique, Donuts, People's Instinctive Travels And the Paths of Rhythm, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. If you're a Nas fan you may enjoy Born to Use Mics: Reading Nas's Illmatic, which is a more scholarly approach to Illmatic

Soooo I wrote this book... :) I specifically asked my editor to make sure the cover was gender-neutral because lots of guys read my book and like it too! One of my primary motivations in writing Courting Greta was to present a much more, ummm... I guess honest view of what romance is really like. And to also show that a love story involving people with serious flaws can be romantic. I dunno, check it out. ;)

What sort of age are you (I'd guess that 11th grade would mean early teens - but I'm not american so I wouldn't be certain).

If you're interested in more "adult" books then I'd recommend the Hannibal Lecter series by Thomas Harris (as when I was that age I was put off by the fact that a lot of the books written for teenagers are written like they're for young children).

If you're interested in science then I'd recommend this one (although it's physically quite big, and so not really bedtime reading material). I'd also recommend the physics of star trek by Lawrence Krauss and Bad Science by Ben Goldacre.

Are you looking for physical books or ebooks?

If you liked Dan Brown, you could give Umberto Eco a try with Foucault's Pendulum or In the Name of the Rose - His books are more intelligent and were written before Brown was around.

I read a lot of historical fiction, if that is of interest you could start with The Gates of Fire by Pressfield or The Last Kingdom by Cornwell

Mystery, action, and fantasy all rolled into one - Dresden Files might be of interest to you - it is kind of a detective noir mixed with fantasy. Also, the series vastly improves as it progresses.

If you would like a coming of age story, The Power of One follows a boy in turn-of-the-century South Africa and examines class and race relations in a very accessible way.

If you want to try reading some of what are considered "The Classics" I would recommend All Quiet on the Western Front and To Kill a Mockingbird

Tried to think of some of my favorites across several very different genres...If any of these appeal, I can expand on them with more similar suggestions.

I recommend CRISIS - Part one of the epic dystopian sci-fi series 'Convulsive'. It picked up three awards this summer, and was described by judges as 'a vivid & compelling page turner'!


OK, disclaimer, I *may* be slightly biased because I wrote it, but the above is still true! Besides, I've gotta spread the word somehow, right? Part 2's out too (GRIT), and Part 3's coming out this month (TRIBES), so if you're looking for something juicy and dark to get your teeth into, now's the perfect time :)


You can get them on kindle or paperback. Check out the blurb/reviews on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07693N7QS/


(UK readers: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07693N7QS/)

I really like the short story suggestion, and wanted to add Ray Bradbury to the list! He has a compilation of all of his short stories (except for the stories in The Martian Chronicles, which I also recommend!) and it's MARVELOUS. Some stories are sci-fi, some are spooky, some are sweet and thoughtful. He's a very talented author.

Seem like a dam full of water, so that cause of can't be able to absorb. In my view you should rest from read and head to write instead. Because you have many resources which can be transform to imagination or creative idea. Trust me, while you're writing you'll be back to the right track again. By the way, let me suggest a good emotional notebook for start great writing on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/108904769X

Ready Player One

by Earnest Cline

I'm not sure if anyone else has recommended it on this sub yet, but I will say that if you love FireFly, then you will love this book!

Young and new to reading, you probably want something more exciting, not too slow or drawn out. Maybe Sci-Fi? Maybe Adventure?

Ray Bradbury was an excellent Science Fiction and short story writer. He wrote tons of stuff other than Fahrenheit 451.

http://www.amazon.com/Bradbury-Stories-Most-Celebrated-Tales/dp/0060544880/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416108681&sr=1-10

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote lots of action packed adventure novels, if that is more your thing. Two of my favorites are The Black Arrow and Treasure Island.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Louis_Stevenson#Bibliography

Feeling the urge for a bit of mystery? Try Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his Sherlock Holmes stories.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Conan_Doyle_bibliography

Want a bit of horror instead? You could always give Edgar Allen Poe a try. Amazon is selling his complete works for like $10

http://www.amazon.com/Edgar-Allan-Poe-Complete-Tales/dp/0785814531/ref=la_B000APVRP2_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1416109099&sr=1-1

Seconding the Theodore Roosevelt Trilogy by Edmund Morris. I know they're long but I promise you if you pick it up you'll fly through them. He had a fascinating life and Morris is such a good writer it never really gets dull.

This is quite a good one (although it was writen before the age of health and safety so some of the experiments are pretty dangerous - for example recommending sniffing chlorine and the like).

Also, if you're interested in science if general then I'd recommend this book here. Although I should warn you that it's very heavy (both physically and in terms of the content).

Also, I'd recommend visiting www.compoundchem.com/

Gotcha, I totally understand. I don't think your assessments are incorrect! PS I also loved A Monster Calls.

I always recommend from Marcus Zusak - I Am The Messenger. He wrote The Book Thief, which got a lot of traction (because of the movie) but this is an earlier work with I think more gravity/character development, and a good bit of humor. It's about this kid who's an underage cab driver, kind of a loser, and starts getting these cards in the mail, putting him on a bunch of missions, all the while wondering who's responsible, and why. A bit fantastical, but also grounded.

​

Ready Player One crushes the atmosphere/setting, but if you're not into video games/VR as a theme, it might not be as interesting. However, my 65 year-old mom knows nothing about video games and she liked it, too, if that means anything, haha.

I would try his short stories.

The Illustrated Man would be a good place to start, but he has many collections. Another choice might be to try a career overview collection, like Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales.

I am really enjoying the trilogy by Edmund Morris. The first one is The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt. The author has a wonderful voice and really strong use of primary sources.

Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang. The best SF collection I've read. Title story is the best, and is out as a movie in 2016.

I really enjoyed The Dream Born by Janice Druzak Miller. Its a nice, light read, and fast paced.

https://www.amazon.com/Dream-Born-Janice-Druzak-Miller-ebook/dp/B07MMJ8DTY

The Killer Angels is a GREAT novel set in the civil war, with really accurate depictions of the battle's mechanics and history.

All Quiet on the Western Front is a great novel set in WWI, examining young men's reactions to the atrocities and realities of modern warfare.

Hopefully that helps you out in your quest.

There is a stand-alone dystopian novel called ["Ready Player One"](http://www.amazon.com/Ready-Player-One-Ernest-Cline/dp/0307887448/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426611964&sr=8-1&keywords=ready+player+one_. Recently read it and pummeled through it in under a day (which is rare for me). I can't explain too much without giving a whole lot away and I haven't read the books that you have enjoyed, but I would recommend it!

Reading The Martian was the most fun I'd had since reading Ready Player One by Ernest Cline so you might try that one if you haven't read it yet.

You could also try Wool by Hugh Howey although not as good as The Martian. Sand also looks interesting but I haven't read it yet.

Oh man! I thought you meant linguistically focused. For that, I would suggest Story of Your Life and Others.

You may like Ready Player One

http://www.amazon.com/Ready-Player-One-A-Novel/dp/0307887448

• Dune by Frank Herbert.
  
  
• Riverworld by Philip Jose Farmer - somewhat of a longshot, but something made me think of it.
  
  
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
  
  
• Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.
  
  
• Battle Royale by Koushun Takami.
  
  
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.
  
  
• Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand .
  
  
• Neuromancer by William Gibson.
  
  
• The Running Man by Stephen King.
  
  You might even get a kick out of The Hunger Games or Divergent... And of course 1984 :)

Maybe Ready Player One by Ernest Cline? He's writing a sequel, but I really think it can stand on its own. Here's an Amazon link so it shouldn't be spoiler-y.