For Meaghan
Yay, more recommendations! I love giving recommendations! I get to sound all knowledgeable and stuff! ( Actually, I just like thinking about what different people would like to read, but I’m sure my ego is involved too. )
Meaghan is looking for fantasy, sci-fi, or historical fiction. I also know she loves to read and doesn’t have much time seeing as she has lots of little ones running around. And that she has a similar sense of humor to mine. And loves history. So…..
The Vlad Taltos series by Steven Brust: You will love these and quickly become obsessed. Which is good because they’re short and there are a lot of them. And a new one comes out in June! YAY! They’re set in a fantasy setting where a human assassin lives among elf-type people. He’s one of my favorite characters of all time, and each book is sort of a mystery/caper and they’re hilarious and awesome. There are books that collect like 3 of the books for not much $$, so if you decide to read these, let me know and I’ll tell you what order they go in. MY COUSIN KIM WOULD ALSO LIKE THESE. (Just saying. In caps. So she doesn’t miss it. Mike would like them too.)
Along the same lines, The Phoenix Guards series by Steven Brust is also awesome. They’re longer and they’re loosely based on The Three Musketeers (but still in a fantasy setting). The language is awesome and will make you want to talk all old-timey.
I’m assuming you’ve read Enders Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card-if you haven’t, get thee to a bookstore!
The Female Man by Joanne (Joanna? I can’t remember, and am too lazy to look it up) Russ will appeal to your sci-fi and UCSC feminista side, it’s super good.
The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis is supposed to be incredibly good, although I’ve never read it. It crosses sci-fi with historical fiction; a scientist goes back in time to the time of the Black Plague and gets stuck there. I’ve heard lots about it, and never anything bad.
And last but not least, in a recommendation tailor made for you: Elvissey by Jack Womack, because it’s all about going to an alternate dimension to get a version of Elvis who lived, because in the world of the book, Elvis is a religious figure and a corporation wants to mastermind his “second coming”. It’s unbelievably awesome.
There you have it. Again, I’d also recommend these to anyone looking for good books in these genres, although not necessarily to someone trying out the sci-fi genre for the first time. (Orson Scott Card’s books would be just fine though.) They’re a bit of a jump in the deep end. The fantasy books though- jump in!
I totally noticed that hidden message for me. I am placing a hold on what I hope is the first book at the Library. Thanks.
Yay, I’m glad you noticed it (it was so subtle) , and that you’re going to read it. Hopefully the one you put on was Jhereg- that’s the first one. If you don’t like it, don’t tell me, cuz I’ll be sad.
The Taltos (pronounced Taltosh, its a Romani word) books are a dangerous recommendation. To me, they are perfect examples of what a book should be. Since they are the platonic form of story, anyone who doesn’t like them must have something wrong with their head, or have bad taste. Because of this, I don’t recommend them to friends I really like. If they read the books and didn’t like them, then I would know that something was dramatically wrong with that person and would not want to associate with them.
LOL- The Elvis thing is a must! I will print the list so I can do one book at a time. I am a big OSC fan and read the Ender’s game series when I was in junior high. I would also suggest any of the Ender’s “shadow” series.
I’m pretty sure there is something wrong with my head so I’m going to put the Taltos series on my list. I’m just letting you know… They sound great.
I love easy read series. I just finished the series by Laurie R. King about Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russel. Fun, fast paced mysteries. Easy reads and you learn a little history to boot!