recommend me some books :P

Right, considering i'm going on my holiday soon, i'm in need of some book recommendations. mind considering its because i'm going on a holiday, the books should be available in pocket editions already. considering i'm flying and my holiday amounts to two weeks of hiking in the mountains, nature with all my packing on my back, bringing big-ass hardcovers won't really make me that much happier

in any case i'm sure all of you have tons of books you love to recommend so fire away:

what tickles my fancy in terms of fiction at the moment are:

"gritty, unforgiving fantasy" in the style of steven erikson, glen cook, and george martin.

i've been devouring historical fiction novels so if you know a couple of writers that have written some interresting tales please throw them at me.

I like black comedies, twisted senses of humour, weird concepts, ala Gaiman and pratchett as well.

i´m not into horror, neither am I into the detectives or dime a dozen thrillers that come out every month, not that i dislike the pearls but the standard bunch isn´t my forté

and well i do read some literature from time to time if the concept really grips me, so if you have an amazing book give the details as to why its amazing also so i might pick it up

I hope you guys will get me a title or two <3

Stephen King

The Stand
Needy Things
Dream catcher
Cellphone
It

Here's a list, these books often have follow-ups:
Authors:
- R.A. Salvatore
- Kristin Cashore
- S. J. Parris
- Peter V. Brett
- John Flanagan
- Elle Newmark

Books/Titles:
- Drizzt Do'Urden Series
- Graceling
- The Painted Man
- The Book of Unholy Mischief
- The Ranger's Apprentice

Otherwise, you can always try the fairly well-known The Hunger Games.

On note, Stephen King is horror, isn't it?

Black comedy, twisted sense of humor, weird concepts? Go for Glue and Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh and the Hap & Collins books by Joe R. Lansdale (the "saga" starts with Savage Season); Welsh depicts a world of football hooligans, punks, junkies and other rejects, Lansdale is a texan freak keen on martial arts, b-movies, comic books and sci-fi, they're definitely worth reading.

Even if you're not into the gerne, try The Power Of The Dog by Don Winslow, the best crime novel I've read in the past few years. The Winter Of Frankie Machine rocks too.

Fear is objective.

So what you find "scary" is too.

Stephen King is an intriguing and perceptive author, each novel and book leaves me thinking long and hard, and of course killing my time sleeping.

I like the Thirteen and a Half Lives of Captain Bluebear! But I'm afraid it's a bit... massive. x) Other than that, GET EVERY SINGLE TERRY PRATCHETT BOOK IN EXISTENCE.

The Shadowmarch series by Tad Williams is amazing

It's Needful Things, not Needy Things And no, Timna, King doesn't write just horror. The Stand, for example would be better described as a sci-fi/thriller/fantasy mix.
That said, I would recommend any books of Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. They write in the genre 'fantastic realism' and their books are almost always fascinating. The only Allende book I didn't like so far was 'the Kingdom of the golden dragon', but her classic 'The House of the Spirits' and the connected books (f.e 'eva Luna' are beautiful and intriguing.

Hmm. True. I wouldn't know, hence I asked I just keep to his scary ones personally.

The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova is a excellent book and an interesting take on a classic theme

Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Train '72 - Hunter S Thompson
Thompson covers politics in his own twisted way.

I'm not much of a reader, and doubt these come in pocket size.

But Philip Pullman's Dark Materia trilogy is fancy.

Tom Clancy.

Venus in furs.

Doesn't fit any of your criteria but its pretty damn good, relatively easy to read, ground-breaking and quite small.

If you like Erikson, Cook, and Martin.
Check out Abercrombie. The First Law trillogi is a really good read, the start of Best Served Cold is also capturing.

Not really fantasy books in any shape or form, but a books I've recently read and loved. Nontheless.


The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson


The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a pleasant and interesting read.

TOM CLANCY CMON

if not,

Chris Ryan.

Crime and Punishment.

A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, very popular at the moment, and with good reason
Terry Prattchet, all of it.
Tolkien, all of it.
The Malleus Maleficarum, great read, actually.

Doesn't exactly fit in your criteria but it's a must read and my favourite book of all times so everyone has to read it!!!!! Tess of the D'Urbervilles by thomas hardy althoh now I think about it it might nit be suitable for the hiking atmosphere ... and trave Pullman's trilogy thing is good I guess but its like a childrens book!!!! I don't like fantasy all that much though so I dunno

Lazarus wrote:Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Train '72 - Hunter S Thompson
Thompson covers politics in his own twisted way.

This one looks interresting.

Muzjhath wrote:If you like Erikson, Cook, and Martin.
Check out Abercrombie. The First Law trillogi is a really good read, the start of Best Served Cold is also capturing.

hmm, the reviews of this one looks pretty promising

Abulos wrote:
Tolkien, all of it.

When you say "All of it" do you include the stuff that the son wrote? like the children of hurin? since i haven't met anyone yet who could give me a proper recommendation as to why i should read that. considering I'm not a big tolkien fan, I like the world he build and respect him for basically putting the genre on the map. but i can't stand his writing style, the long drawn out moments of nothingness. the page long descriptions of different trees.. the archetypical characters. carboard,2d whatever crap. none of his chars, not even the main ones feel fleshed out like a real person. I like my books to be character driven, there needs to be conflict and whatnot regarding the choices you have to make and not simply doing stuff because well that's your archetype. the story needs to be human...

that said since i haven't talked to some-one who actually read the children of hurin and the sons further work. is it actually good? or is it just an attempt to cash-in on his fathers life-work? or is it a good attempt that ultimately just ruins your fathers life-work like what happened to poor Herbert and the awesomeness that was dune.?

Amaryl wrote:or is it a good attempt that ultimately just ruins your fathers life-work like what happened to poor Herbert and the awesomeness that was dune.?

I'd weep but that wouldn't be very fremen of me.

The Book of Dave by Will Self. Darkly comedic, twisted story of the future in which a taxi driver's diary and stories of his mental breakdown feature heavily, and shape everything. Also recommended by Self: Dorian, an Imitation, modern reworking of the famous Wilde story; The Butt.

The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts by Louis de Bernières. Before you baulk at the thought of a book by the man who gave us Captain Corelli's Mandolin, think again. It's true that de Bernières is known for the Captain and his Mandolin but his first three books (the "Latin trilogy") of which "The War..." is the first, are truly wonderfully, brilliant books. Dark comedy, political commentary, magical realism. Sometimes so sad I cried, others I laughed and smiled. In my mind, must read book. Along with the two other books in the series.

The End of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas. Metaphysics, science and a mystery. It's better than I describe. Think Margaret Atwood's writing mixed with... erm... I dunno. It's a bit "look at these interesting things" at times. But I read it on trains, it's a train kinda book. For journeys.

Something "historical fiction"? The Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell (of Sharpe fame), starting with The Winter King. It's about the Arthur myth. It's just better than a lot of other stuff written about the Arthur myth though. Not as good as The Once and Future King (which I also recommend as utterly superb, though again, pretty sizeable for a holiday read).

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel could also be a good shot, if you haven't read it.

I'd also recommend The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers. But as said above, it is HUGE.

I always grab a few trade comics too when I go travel. Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis is a great start if you haven't read it - Spider Jerusalem is one of the nastiest, brilliant commentators on the media, politics and the recent past (in the near future). The Boys, again by Ellis, isn't "Nice" but is great even if you don't like superheroes. The Ballad of Halo Jones by Alan Moore, just because it's one of the best graphic novels, ever.

I do believe the latest Martin novel has come out recently. A Dance with Dragons, book 5 in the Song of Ice and Fire.