Andy needs new books! Help him out!

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I love to read, anyone who knows me knows that. I've been reading since I was a little kid, starting with The Hobbit when I was 7, Chronicles of Narnia right after that, and it's all been downhill since then. I've read primarily science-fiction and fantasy, but in the last year I've been starting to read more non-fiction, business development and motivational books. Books like Kitchen Confidential, Good to Great, Purple Cow, and Delivering Happiness.

I'm always on the lookout for new books to add to my ever growing list and I'd love to enlist you, my loyal readers, to help me out. I'm sure that you can introduce me to authors and books I've never heard of that I'd absolutely love. So, I'm going to write a list of my favorite authors/books and I'd love for you to make suggestions based on your own experiences. The below list is in no particular order. I'd also love to chat about any of the books or authors listed below.

This is by no means a complete list. I've got about 200-300 books at home, with about 20 of them never having been read yet. I've got an Evernote list that I pull from anytime I go to a book store, and that's what I'm hoping to add to with your help. Thanks and add your favorites in the comments below.

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You must, must read Orson Scott Card's "Enders Game" & "Enders Shadow" Also, the Game of Thrones if you have a year to kill.

Tim Cunningham - July 06, 2011 08:48 am

Yep. I've read Ender's Game, but not Ender's Shadow. And yes, I've also read Game of Thrones. Rereading it now actually so as to have kept up with the TV show.

andy matthews - July 06, 2011 08:52 am

Game of Thrones series of books. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Game_of_Thrones The Passage. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Passage Girl with Dragon Tattoo series. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Girl_with_the_Dragon_Tattoo I am told the hunger Games series is good, plan on trying them next. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games

Joshua Cyr - July 06, 2011 08:53 am

A project I have undertaken is trying to read every book that has won a Hugo or Nebula award. It has been interesting. I have read things I normally would not have. Like "To say nothing of the Dog" by Connie Willis. It is like Pride and Prejudice meets Time Travel. Quirky.

Tim Cunningham - July 06, 2011 08:56 am

Hunger Games books are excellent. Ray finished reading them a few months back. The first movie comes out next year I believe. Should be interesting.

andy matthews - July 06, 2011 08:56 am

For fantasy, look at: Joe Abercrombie - anything by him, but start at the beginning. Steven Erickson - The Malazan Book of the Fallen Patrick Rothfuss - He's only written two so far.

Will Swain - July 06, 2011 08:58 am

Wow, I could wax lyrical and fill this up (but I wont) Brief selections from the monkehLibrary: * The Jon Shannow Trilogy by David Gemmell - fantastic alternate future world with semi-western throwbacks * Under the Dome by Stephen King - had me hooked from the first page * Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom (yeah I know, but it's still a good book) * The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum - you cant keep a good Bourne down * The Dark Fields by Alan Glynn - the original book that inspired the movie "Limitless" * Anything by Danny Wallace

Matt Gifford - July 06, 2011 08:59 am

Ooooh Matt. Good list. I read Under the Dome about a year ago now. I've always said that Stephen King's worst horror characters aren't his monsters, but men and women who do horrible, unspeakable things. Five People had me in tears...I was literally weeping at parts of the book. Bourne Identity was good, but it was written so long ago that it had a really odd writing style.

andy matthews - July 06, 2011 09:03 am

Singularity Sky by Charles Stross is very good, the best sci fi book I have read in a while http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singularity_Sky

Tara McLean - July 06, 2011 09:11 am

Wow! Good stuff so far. I'm surprised there's no mention yet of the Eternal Champion series of books by Michael Moorcock -- in particular the Elric books. Also good is Roger Zelazny's Amber series. Maybe not a deep read, but good fantasy just the same. If you liked Starship Troopers, have a look at Armour by John Steakley. Similar bug war setting but less politics. Armour focuses on the emotional impact war has on the warrior.

Perry Gerenday - July 06, 2011 09:36 am

Perry...good suggestion on Armour. I've already it for that very reason. It was pretty good, but not as good as Starship Troopers. Another book that has similar characteristics is Forever War by Joe Haldeman. Focuses on the distortion of time for people traveling at light speed to fight wars between worlds. REALLY good book.

andy matthews - July 06, 2011 10:35 am

Jim Butcher did the Dresden series which I really love, but he also did a fantasy series known collectively as the Codex Alera. Six books in total the make for one amazing over all story. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Alera

Steve Manke - July 06, 2011 10:51 am

Steve, the Codex Alera sounds right up my alley. I LOVE getting into long series. Perry...I seem to recall reading the Elric series, or at least trying to, a long time ago. Didn't do anything for me. But that was at least 20 years back. I'll give them another shot.

andy matthews - July 06, 2011 12:04 pm

So with all this talk of books, I couldn't resist heading to my favorite local used book store McKays here in Nashville. These books followed me home. Can I keep them? http://campl.us/cj05

andy matthews - July 06, 2011 03:44 pm

That's quite a pile of books. Well done! If you want my advice, start with Daemon. I have yet to meet a geek with didn't love it. And the sequel is already out. The only other advice I can offer, is to be sure to read the Jim Butcher books in order. They are sequential and reading them out of order would murder the experience for you. Happy reading!

Steve Manke - July 25, 2011 08:54 am

Zamyatan's WE - one of the great dystopian novels; pre-dates 1984 and Brave New World. An excellent book for any Sci-Fi fan. I read the Kindle edition, but you can get it in paperback: http://www.amazon.com/We-Yevgeny-Zamyatin/dp/0380633132

Joshua Miller - November 01, 2011 01:57 pm

The Honor Harrington series by David Weber (recently discussed on the TWiT Security Now podcast). The first two ebooks in the series are free at the Baen Free Library. I just read the first book and thoroughly enjoyed it. It can best be described as space-based naval warfare (the heroine is a naval commander).

Michael Mongeau - November 02, 2011 06:44 am

It looks like we have pretty similar interests in books, so I will add a couple of my favorites. "Dune" is, of course, a can't miss. If you haven't read it, do. My experience is that each book in the series is about half as good as the one before it. In the case of "Dune" that means that the fourth book in the series is still a pretty good read. The original is that good. One series that I think doesn't get nearly enough attention is the "Mars" series by Kim Stanley Robinson. Science Fiction by a history PhD and it is really well written. It takes a little while to get into it, but once you do it is really worth it. Start with "Red Mars" and go from there. It is only a three book series, so not a major commitment. Lots of other recommendations on this page (including in your list) that I haven't read yet, but will have to make sure to get to.

Steve Bryant - November 02, 2011 09:42 am