[Hoppergrass]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimmyl930 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Making Money - Terry Pratchett (Discworld series) The Discworld series is a humorous take on your standard high fantasy stuff.

ahh you just made my day. terry pratchett is my favorite author. i'm sure you've read the prequel to making money? going postal. i liked that one even better

 

[kpeezy]

I will follow no timelines. The best fiction story ever written is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. I highly recommend getting the unabridged if you think you're up to the task. Honestly, my favorite fiction novel ever. It's incredible!

 

[Teraflame]

House of Leaves is an absolute blast. It's a complicated horror story told brilliantly in multiple narratives.

Although you say that you don't like most fantasy, A Song of Ice and Fire series just has to be recommended. It has a brilliant story with unpredictable twists, realistic characters, and dynamic cast - the author isn't afraid to kill off major characters. The first book is A Game of Thrones.

 

[widdors]

Thanks for all the input. I've read Life of Pi, excellent book, and also angels and demons. I guess my OP was a little confusing. I'm not concerned whether the book was published this year, but I was more interested if you had read it this year. I'll definetely look into these suggestions.
Thanks.

 

[goldenratiophi]

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Easily one of the top 5 books I've ever read. Admittedly I haven't read that many books, but I loved every page of Rebecca.

 

[kpeezy]

I MUST REITERATE! READ THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO!

 

[Hoppergrass]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teraflame /img/forum/go_quote.gif House of Leaves is an absolute blast. It's a complicated horror story told brilliantly in multiple narratives.

i've started that blasted book twice and i just can't get into it. now you temp me to try again. i just bought the kite runner though. maybe i'll try after i finish it.

 

[Prozakk]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoppergrass /img/forum/go_quote.gif my impression from the OP is that he was looking for a good read. it's also unclear based on his statement, "...So, I'm wondering what some of your favoirite reads from this year would be." if he's looking for a book that was published this year or a book that we've read this year. also, his last statement was, "Thanks for any suggestions." (emphasis added) so take it easy and maybe recommend something yourself.

Exactly!!!

 

[meat01]

Quote:

I guess my OP was a little confusing. I'm not concerned whether the book was published this year, but I was more interested if you had read it this year. I'll definetely look into these suggestions. Thanks.

In that case, I like Total Control by David Baldacci or however you spell it and Without Remorse by Tom Clancy. Without Remorse is not like his typical techno books. It is more of a revenge book.

 

[appophylite]

Of the fiction books I've read in the last year, the ones I enjoyed most were:

Battle Royale by Koushun Takumi

Rendevous With Rama, Rama II, Garden of Rama and Rama Revealed by Arthur C Clarke

Dune Messiah, Children of Dune and The Butlerian Jihad by Frank Herbert (They make more sense if you have read Dune first)

All good reading in my opinion

 

[fuild]

I enjoyed lincoln preston's new book: The Wheel of Darkness. It was pretty engaging.

 

[beerguy0]

I'm currently reading "Focault's Pendulum", by Umberto Eco. Excellent read, and filled with amazing detail. Think DaVinci code written by an intellectual who delights in obscure references. Definitely a challenge, but a very worthwhile one.

 

[tru blu]

Roberto Bolaño - Amulet
Novella about the bohemian literary life in Mexico as the country is undergoing political change. It's actually an excerpt from a much longer novel, The Savage Detectives, which I haven't gotten to yet.

 

[widdors]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoppergrass /img/forum/go_quote.gif ahh you just made my day. terry pratchett is my favorite author. i'm sure you've read the prequel to making money? going postal. i liked that one even better

These two have piqued my interest, I'll see if I can get my hands on them. Thanks!

-just requested from my local library, I'll be reading going postal in the next couple of days. I also noticed that Terry has co-written with Neil Gaiman who is one of my favorite authors (in spite what I said about not liking fantasy!).

 

[mcmyers]

If you like suspense, I'd check out either of the two novels by Scott Smith, "A Simple Plan" and "The Ruins." The first one was made into a movie, which is quite good, but the book is different and A LOT darker. The second book is more of a horror story (rather than a thriller), and while you have to suspend your disbelief a little, I couldn't stop reading it. And whatever you do, don't try to find out anything about the plotline before you read it, as there were a few book reviews that gave away a big plot twist that occurs about 1/3 into the book.

The Ian McEwan novel I like best is "Enduring Love," which I've heard was a not very good movie, but the book is fantastic.

Finally, I really enjoyed a lesser-known novel called "You Remind Me of Me" by Dan Chaon. He's written a great collection of short stories called "Among the Missing" too, but the novel was one of the few straight up literary novels I've read in a while that didn't seem in any way pretentious. I usually only like literary novels if they have some element of suspense or the macabre (like Lolita or The Trial) but while this book was about pretty realistic characters in a realistic situation (which I won't give away because I can't remember if there's any spoilers), it was still a page turner in my hands.

Sorry to be so wordy, but I really liked these books.