What are some books that you recommend as a good read?

The Alchemist, Life of Pi, The Birth of Venus…I could go on and on and on, but these are just some of the books I’ve most recently read that left a big impression.

Edit: Like Water for Chocolate is also a very good read.

Two of my recent reads were absolutely riveting: The Passage by Justin Cronin, Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes (Vietnam book), and Reamde by Neal Stephenson.

When I was a teenager I loved Orson Scott Card’s books very much. I found Ender’s Game and Pastwatch particularly interesting. His Magic Street is pure fun. I also loved Neil Gaiman’s books – I suggest starting with his Neverwhere or the book he cowrote with Terry Pratchett, Good Omens.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon might be great for a six-hour ride. It’s written from the perspective of an autistic 15-year-old. If you don’t mind feeling awkward for laughing out loud very so often, go for any of David Sedaris’ books; they’re hilarious nonfiction. If you’d like a fluffy but also pretty excellent zombie book, check out Max Brooks’ (son of Mel) World War Z.

@wildpotato You liked Reamde? I would say read anything else by Stephenson before you read Reamde. That is his worst novel, in my opinion. Felt like he emailed that one in.

I would like to second @wildpotato suggestion of The Curious Incident Of the Dog in the Night-Time , wonderful book for teen or adult alike.

The Discworld series, in any order, by Terry Pratchett.

I have, belatedly, discovered them and am having a wonderful time and have to restrain myself from emailing quote after quote after quote to my 200 best friends.

@wundayatta I hear what you’re saying – I also think it is his weakest in several ways – but two things: everything Stephenson has written is better than almost anything else I’ve encountered, and also Reamde is set in a ‘verse that is almost ours, unlike my favorites, Snow Crash and Diamond Age – and because of this, I think it appeals more readily to folks who aren’t as into scifi or cyberpunk. Zodiac is like that too, but I think that book appeals to a far more limited audience than Reamde for a number of reasons. Can’t comment on the Quicksilver series yet because I haven’t read them. But at any rate, Reamde, like Zodiac and Cronin’s The Passage, is written almost like a movie, and can be an intense and enjoyable read for those who like that sort of thing. Not unlike the feeling I got from certain of the Harry Potter books and War and Peace – just utterly entertaining, rather than deeply meaningful.

@wildpotato I agree with you that it was written like a movie, and for me, that was the problem. It felt too fake and contrived, whereas his other novels all had urgency and surprise in them. Reamde was way too predictable for me. I would definitely read the Quicksilver series and or Cryptonomicon before I read Reamde.

To Kill a Mockingbird
The Hunger Games trilogy
The Lovely Bones
Water For Elephants
Depending on how old a teen you are, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy and anything by Nick Hornby, Carl Hiaasen, David Sedaris or Stephen King.

Mental edit that “two” in my first post to a “three”! This is going to bother me forever.

You know what’s a really good book for people of all ages? The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster.

I also agree that The Lovely Bones is a good one. If you want to learn more about your food and where it comes from, try The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan.

Another good one for a teen would be The Yearling. Classic.

Another I love is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn is a personal favourite

The Millennium series by Stieg Larsson – a definite must!!

@Leanne1986 I was thinking of that book recently but couldn’t remember the title. Thanks! What a crazy read.

@wildpotato I loved it but I didn’t find it an easy read and it took me a long time to get through it.

A very unusual fantasy novel you might like is The Mennyms by Sylvia Waugh. It is a gripping story and quite easily read and so is suitable for a long car trip.