My Fiction Book Recommendations
Okay, my fiction/non-fiction book recommendations, based on the assumption that you've read Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Little Women and To Kill a Mockingbird:
Abarat by Clive Barker
I haven't read anything else by him but I love his writing process here. He paints and the stuff he paints becomes a story. All the paintings are included with the prose on very nice, glossy paper. I can't wait for the third one.
Figment by Jim Zub
Figment, Dreamfinder and the Journey into Imagination were always one of my favorite memories of my first trip to Disney and this book is how it all came about in the fictional sense. It's PERFECT! The puns are hilarious, the artwork is gorgeous and optimism abounds on every page! Thus, it has already become one of my favorite books ever.
Vampirates by Justin Somper
Actually, this borders on juvenile fiction depending on your library, but I'm really enjoying it. It's very reminiscent of the conventional stories about going to sea, but takes place in the 26th century.
Nicholas Flamel Saga by Michael Scott
Oh gosh, I love this. Wizardry and sorcery set in modern times, but amongst regular humans instead of set apart in special areas and the little surprises he comes up with although I must spoil one...yes, William Shakespeare was an apprentice of Flamel...and there is a movie, we'll see how well it does.
Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan
Yes, I might have a thing for vampires and I love how involved his world is. He's made up so many unique traits for his vampires which is hard to do. If you can tell by reading his work that Tolkien was an addict of words, you can tell by this series that Shan loves studying people and what they do and how it affects everyone else. A big theme of the series is: Do we have a choice in our lives or is everything all planned out already?
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I don't typically do Dystopian but I really enjoyed this.
the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
It was enjoyable as an action series, but what I really loved was the way ancient Greek mythology was interpreted in a modern way, like if Circe was still around, would she still be turning men into pigs or would she have moved onto more manageable animals?
Ghost Girl by Tonya Hurley
The stories were okay, but what I really loved was the format and cover which were phenomenal. There were lots of quotes and extras and the covers are extremely pretty with a see-through window like a kid's picture book.
Georgia Nicolson which is great if you like Bridget Jones. She's basically like a 15 year old Bridget Jones except with less sex and more comedy actually although she tends to complain about geekiness like LOTR and Dr. Who. In that same vein, I also really liked The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell which covers Carrie's senior year in high school and was a lot better than I was expecting...WAY better than that second film and actually made me want to read her other Carrie books.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
This was so good: historical romance set among a struggling circus during the Depression. Not only does she have her facts right and make you feel like you were there, but she does include deeper themes of freedom and how far we're willing to get it. There are some descriptions of animal torture though.
An Unfortunate Series of Events by Lemony Snicket
Yes, this is in the children's section but how many kids are going to get puns like "Virginia Wolfensnake" or a reference to Supreme Court Justice Anthony Scalia being a strict interpreter of the constitution?
Plus, it's fun.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
It's a marvelous tale set in Paris that looks incredibly thick and scary but most of it is lovely pictures so that it feels like a flipbook or movie at times. To see some of the drawings for yourself, go here:
http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/index.htm
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
With a similar feel is The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi. It also has a lot of pictures but is grounded in a less familiar environment full of magical creatures.
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente and Ana Juan
Recommended by Neil Gaiman and my mom, it's again about a girl in a fantasy world but it's clever and has everything a person could possibly want, including beautiful pictures.
The Black Book of Secrets by FE Higgins
I admit it, I'm drawn to books by their cover and when you spot a book entirely black, including pages, it stands out. The story inside doesn't disappoint either. I read the first three books of this series in less than two days and wanted more immediately: creepy historical with some humor here and there...it has a bit of an Addams feel and I love Addams.
The Looking Glass Wars series by Frank Beddor
It's awesome. What if the real Alice really was the princess from a fantasy kingdom who was trapped on Earth? What if Hatter was the man who had sworn to protect her and failed his duty?
Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
Cinderella is a Cyborg! Now, normally I hate cyborgs and humanoid robots but there's also intrigue and politics woven into a science-fiction fantasy.
Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley
If you enjoy sarcastic humor and lots of geek references, you will LOVE this.
I also love Sherman Alexie, Nick Hornby, Neil Gaiman, Douglas Adams and Sarah Vowell, basically all of their works although the last few from Hornby weren't as good as his earlier work. Plus, I Married Adventure by Osa Johnson, fantastic book about her life traveling the world, photographing every moment, in the early twentieth century when so many people told her that a woman's place was at home.
Oh, I also enjoyed The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger which is similar in feel to Diary of a Wimpy Kid but Star Wars oriented and if you like dinosaurs, you have to read Jurassic Park and The Lost World by Michael Crichton. I enjoyed the indepth analysis of animal behaviour in the second one. Also, try The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Plus, everyone should read at least one book by Jane Austen as well as the Sherlock Holmes series.
Abarat by Clive Barker
I haven't read anything else by him but I love his writing process here. He paints and the stuff he paints becomes a story. All the paintings are included with the prose on very nice, glossy paper. I can't wait for the third one.
Figment by Jim Zub
Figment, Dreamfinder and the Journey into Imagination were always one of my favorite memories of my first trip to Disney and this book is how it all came about in the fictional sense. It's PERFECT! The puns are hilarious, the artwork is gorgeous and optimism abounds on every page! Thus, it has already become one of my favorite books ever.
Vampirates by Justin Somper
Actually, this borders on juvenile fiction depending on your library, but I'm really enjoying it. It's very reminiscent of the conventional stories about going to sea, but takes place in the 26th century.
Nicholas Flamel Saga by Michael Scott
Oh gosh, I love this. Wizardry and sorcery set in modern times, but amongst regular humans instead of set apart in special areas and the little surprises he comes up with although I must spoil one...yes, William Shakespeare was an apprentice of Flamel...and there is a movie, we'll see how well it does.
Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan
Yes, I might have a thing for vampires and I love how involved his world is. He's made up so many unique traits for his vampires which is hard to do. If you can tell by reading his work that Tolkien was an addict of words, you can tell by this series that Shan loves studying people and what they do and how it affects everyone else. A big theme of the series is: Do we have a choice in our lives or is everything all planned out already?
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I don't typically do Dystopian but I really enjoyed this.
the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
It was enjoyable as an action series, but what I really loved was the way ancient Greek mythology was interpreted in a modern way, like if Circe was still around, would she still be turning men into pigs or would she have moved onto more manageable animals?
Ghost Girl by Tonya Hurley
The stories were okay, but what I really loved was the format and cover which were phenomenal. There were lots of quotes and extras and the covers are extremely pretty with a see-through window like a kid's picture book.
Georgia Nicolson which is great if you like Bridget Jones. She's basically like a 15 year old Bridget Jones except with less sex and more comedy actually although she tends to complain about geekiness like LOTR and Dr. Who. In that same vein, I also really liked The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell which covers Carrie's senior year in high school and was a lot better than I was expecting...WAY better than that second film and actually made me want to read her other Carrie books.
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
This was so good: historical romance set among a struggling circus during the Depression. Not only does she have her facts right and make you feel like you were there, but she does include deeper themes of freedom and how far we're willing to get it. There are some descriptions of animal torture though.
An Unfortunate Series of Events by Lemony Snicket
Yes, this is in the children's section but how many kids are going to get puns like "Virginia Wolfensnake" or a reference to Supreme Court Justice Anthony Scalia being a strict interpreter of the constitution?
Plus, it's fun.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
It's a marvelous tale set in Paris that looks incredibly thick and scary but most of it is lovely pictures so that it feels like a flipbook or movie at times. To see some of the drawings for yourself, go here:
http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/index.htm
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
With a similar feel is The Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi. It also has a lot of pictures but is grounded in a less familiar environment full of magical creatures.
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente and Ana Juan
Recommended by Neil Gaiman and my mom, it's again about a girl in a fantasy world but it's clever and has everything a person could possibly want, including beautiful pictures.
The Black Book of Secrets by FE Higgins
I admit it, I'm drawn to books by their cover and when you spot a book entirely black, including pages, it stands out. The story inside doesn't disappoint either. I read the first three books of this series in less than two days and wanted more immediately: creepy historical with some humor here and there...it has a bit of an Addams feel and I love Addams.
The Looking Glass Wars series by Frank Beddor
It's awesome. What if the real Alice really was the princess from a fantasy kingdom who was trapped on Earth? What if Hatter was the man who had sworn to protect her and failed his duty?
Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
Cinderella is a Cyborg! Now, normally I hate cyborgs and humanoid robots but there's also intrigue and politics woven into a science-fiction fantasy.
Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O'Malley
If you enjoy sarcastic humor and lots of geek references, you will LOVE this.
I also love Sherman Alexie, Nick Hornby, Neil Gaiman, Douglas Adams and Sarah Vowell, basically all of their works although the last few from Hornby weren't as good as his earlier work. Plus, I Married Adventure by Osa Johnson, fantastic book about her life traveling the world, photographing every moment, in the early twentieth century when so many people told her that a woman's place was at home.
Oh, I also enjoyed The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger which is similar in feel to Diary of a Wimpy Kid but Star Wars oriented and if you like dinosaurs, you have to read Jurassic Park and The Lost World by Michael Crichton. I enjoyed the indepth analysis of animal behaviour in the second one. Also, try The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Plus, everyone should read at least one book by Jane Austen as well as the Sherlock Holmes series.