What books stunned you? Particularly for good, share the novels, short stories, and plays that blew you away, introduced twists you couldn't foresee, and have stuck with you since. Use spoilers if necessary!
A few that have stayed with me through the years:
Gone With the Wind, a novel that defends its standing among the classics. It's beautiful, painful, hopeful, and enjoyable, and it takes about a month to read if you read it every day. I would love to discuss this book with someone.
The Farming of Bones, an insightful and heartrending story of the 1937 Haitian genocide.
Hoot, a motivational and entertaining story of environmental activism and befriending a modern, pre-teen outlaw.
The Redwall books really did, as well as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Hobbit, the Chronicles of Narnia, and the Hunger Games trilogy. In general, I like deep messages that I can delve into.
Gone With the Wind is awesome, I agree. Unfortunately, I can't say I liked the characters very much. Scarlett bugged me most. And Hoot was very good. Did you know there's more books by that author?
Hmm. The Redwall series, of course.
The Mortal Instruments series is the BEST. It's companion trilogy and books, The Infernal Devices (The trilogy) and The Bane Chronicles and also The Shadowhunter's Codex are companions.
There's more, but I'm running out of time.
Quote from: Cornflower MM on December 11, 2015, 02:42:05 AM
And Hoot was very good. Did you know there's more books by that author?
Yes, I like Carl Hiaasen's YA works. I enjoyed Flush, and own a copy of it along with Hoot, and Scat was all right. I haven't yet been able to read Chomp, but it's been on my extensive to-read list for years. What did you think of Flush?
I really liked it, but it's not really sticking out in my memory. . . . . Isn't that the one with the fuchsia dye?
And Howl's Moving Castle is one of the most memorable books I've ever read.
@Flush: Yeah, it's that one. It's not as memorable as Hoot.
I was going to mention Howl's Moving Castle as well. I'm not surprised you did. :) That's such a wonderful book.
Ah, okay. I'll have to re-read it.
Indeed it is! and one of the best things about it is that all the characters are immensely flawed in one way or another. . . . Except Michael, he doesn't have much of any flaws other than those of a normal human being.
Practically every book I've read I can remember quite vividly but a few of note are:
Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy - An absolutely fantastic story with phenomenal characters and a really original voice behind it.
Skulduggery Pleasant: The Faceless Ones by Derek Landy - Playing With Fire, the second book of the series is fantastic, like the others, and it introduces three of my favourite characters, but I'm not going to talk about every book in the series. The Faceless Ones deserves special mention because it was the first time I read such a momentous twist ending in a book. The build up to said ending was superb and also introduced Fletcher Renn, who is perhaps my favourite character in fiction.
Skulduggery Pleasant: Death Bringer by Derek Landy - It's amazing. So many important reveals and one of the best fights in literature make this book my favourite in the series.
Skulduggery Pleasant: Last Stand of Dead Men by Derek Landy - Chapter fifty-one. The people who've read it know what that means. And also the ending. From the scene where the warlocks first attack Roarhaven all the way to the end. It's a wild ride.
Skulduggery Pleasant: The Dying of the Light by Derek Landy - The perfect end to the perfect series. Everything from the previous books is wrapped up superbly, and a new mystery is introduced so Landy can write more if he wants to.
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare - I don't quite know how to explain my feelings towards this book, so I won't. Suffice it to say that it is the perfect finale to the trilogy that Cassandra Clare originally intended The Mortal Instruments to be.
City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare - And this is the perfect finale to the sextology it became.
Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare - Much like Glass and HF, Princess is the perfect end to The Infernal Devices trilogy.
The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare - Black and Clare subvert your expectations brilliantly in this excellent twist on the typical Chosen One story.
The Copper Gauntlet by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare - It builds fantastically upon the end of Trial and continues to subvert your expectations in a way that you'll love. I cannot wait for The Bronze Key.
Brisingr by Christopher Paolini - Many people consider Brisingr and Inheritance to be weaker books than Eragon and Eldest due to the slower pace. They say that the dwarf politics bores them. I disagree wholeheartedly. The slower pace doesn't bother me and I find the dwarf politics fascinating. In this book Arya becomes more of a character than just a plank of wood (no I didn't like Arya, sue me) and the story started to come together nicely. Roran's time as a soldier was exciting, and at times even harrowing, to read about. I just wish that the cover had been gold and not black so that Shruikan could get the cover of Inheritance, but alas it was not to be and I am left with a green dragon who I assume will bond with Arya.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor - I can't quite articulate my thoughts on this, just go and find it, and read it.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo - It is not often that you find a high fantasy that is not based on Germanic Europe, or England, but the Grisha trilogy manages to distinguish itself by being set in a sort of Russian world. The magic system is fascinating and the plot is intriguing.
The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud - Yes, I mean the whole trilogy. It's extremely funny, with an engaging plot and compelling characters and yet still manages to explore many dark and serious themes; namely slavery, power, class, corruption, isolation and love.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan - There's not much I can say, just read them.
Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan - It's just a fantastic read.
Edgar Allen Poe's - Fall of the House of Usher. Definitely worth it. Best if you read it alone, in the dark, by candlelight. ;D
Lord of the Rings of course.
The Song of Roland.
Robin Hood. (I forget who did this version...)
The Hobbit for sure. I felt so much while reading that book. Teamwork, compassion, war, and love. The overarching theme of how a small man can save a whole kingdom of people is a tale that never grows old in my eyes.
Mossflower no doubt. A rag tag band of creatures who strive and fight to get their land back, until a hero comes and finds his own destiny with them? Heck yes you can't forget that.
The Once and Future King. I love this book so much. It touched me, by the way it was written, the way it kept a sold flow, and of course, how the story panned out.
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater - This book is so poorly marketed. It's marketed as a supernatural romance but really it's a supernatural horror mystery thriller which uses romance as a plot device. It's incredibly intriguing and interesting and the characters are great, barring some stupid decisions they make.
Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand. It's an amazingly well-researched and well-written biography of Louis Zamperini, a 1936 Olympian and later POW. Word of warning, though: some parts (as in most of it...) are pretty difficult to read given the nature of Zamperini's hardships. It's really not a book approach lightly, and I wouldn't recommend it to any of the younger (<13 <16 <18 (or so)) members here (don't take that as a challenge, guys).
^I've yet to read that book, but I really want to.
Two more books that I've loved for years are Pictures of Hollis Woods and Oliver Twist. They're my two favourite books.
Quote from: Mhera on December 22, 2015, 05:10:27 PM
Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand. It's an amazingly well-researched and well-written biography of Louis Zamperini, a 1936 Olympian and later POW. Word of warning, though: some parts (as in most of it...) are pretty difficult to read given the nature of Zamperini's hardships. It's really not a book approach lightly, and I wouldn't recommend it to any of the younger (<13 <16 <18 (or so)) members here (don't take that as a challenge, guys).
My dad and I started reading that together.
Awesome! Just don't read ahead :P
Boy and Going Solo, both autobiography thingies (memoirs? They don't cover his whole life) by Roald Dahl, have stuck with me pretty well.
This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness were inspirational books to me.
The Hamlet play I saw recently was mind-blowing.
The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit films shall always stay with me. Return of the King has a special place in my heart.
The film Anonymous really inspired me and encouraged me to keep going with my college project.
Knight's Tale is wonderful and just perfect.
As you can see I'm more of a film person than a book person but my sister's own work really inspires me. She's an excellent writer and if you want to read some of her stuff go on Fanfiction.Net and check out stagepageandscreen.
Quote from: Mhera on December 22, 2015, 05:10:27 PM
Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand. It's an amazingly well-researched and well-written biography of Louis Zamperini, a 1936 Olympian and later POW. Word of warning, though: some parts (as in most of it...) are pretty difficult to read given the nature of Zamperini's hardships. It's really not a book approach lightly, and I wouldn't recommend it to any of the younger (<13 <16 <18 (or so)) members here (don't take that as a challenge, guys).
I've read it. :P
It is amazing, too! Kind of thick and hard to get through, and somewhat depressing, but it's still amazing.
A book that I probably won't forget (I don't know, though. I have a pretty bad memory when it comes to books...) is
The Way of Kings. It sounds like some ancient Chinese philosophical text, doesn't it? But it's a 1000 page fantasy novel. :P But it's an example of great writing, and it has a lot of leadership...lessons, sort of. And I like long books, cause the longer they are, the longer they keep me occupied, and it doesn't drag it's feet on the ground, it moves. :D
That's a Brandon Sanderson novel, right?
And no, it doesn't sound like a philosophical Chinese text, it sounds exactly like a fantasy novel.
Well, among the more memorable books that I have read, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit stand out, of course. Les Mis was also excellent, likely the best book I have ever read for an English class. I also appreciated C. S. Louis' The Screwtape Letters, and I do think that Charles Dickens is a must-read: Oliver Twist and Great Expectations especially. Mark Twain is a favorite as well: try A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.
The Dark Lord of Derkholm and Year of the Griffin by Dianna Wynne Jones are excellent satirical pieces on the dangers of extreme capitalism and the uh... imperfections, shall we say, of school systems. Amazing (and sad) how they're still relevant today.
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black was the first faerie book I've read, and that alone would put it on this list. However it also has a fantastic plot and intriguing characters. The relationships seem very natural and Sorrow's story is just heartbreaking.
And I may not have finished Alex London's Proxy but that book has definitely earned it's place on this list. Much like The Dark Lord of Derkholm, it is brilliant satire on capitalism but it also manages to get deep under the skin, what with all the superficial genetic modification and such, as well as the corruption of the police forces and the incredibly realistic depiction of institutionalised homophobia, especially the subtle stuff.
REVIVE!
The Half Bad trilogy by Sally Green. What is there even to say about this series? The first book was like a drug to me. A lot of times in fiction, you have horrific things that are mentioned or that happen, but it's never actually properly talked about - the effect on the characters isn't clear or the reader doesn't feel it as much as they should. That's why I love Half Bad. While it may not have the most horrific events in a book (though I'd say it comes close) the sheer frankness and brutality of the abuse that Nathan is subjected to is absolutely terrifying and the way it effects him is so realistic and well thought-out. The other two books don't have as much of the abuse and violence, so they aren't as powerful in that way and for a lot of the second book I really wasn't feeling it as much as I'd have liked, but the last third of Half Wild and the entirety of Half Lost make up for it. Though I hate the ending, it's not one that isn't thought out or cheap or anything like that and I still would highly recommend the series to everyone.
History is all You Left Me by Adam Silvera is a terrific book about dealing with grief and the loss of a loved one. It's about a boy called Griffin whose ex-boyfriend Theo dies in a drowning accident. What's most interesting is that there are two perspectives, one set in the present, and one in the past when Griffin and Theo first started dating. The interesting bit is that as the past story gets continually sadder, the present story gets continually happier. Griffin and Theo's relationship (even after they break up) is also a great cause of tension and it caused me to hate practically everyone in the story for some reason or another, and while you'd think that'd be a bad thing, I loved it. Because the things these people do to make you hate them are ordinary human errors, and a lot of them you'd probably do the same in that situation. It's also worth noting that this is perhaps the first book I've read of my own accord that didn't have a fantastical setting.
The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic. Wow. Just wow. There aren't a lot of things in fiction that can unsettle me as much as this book did (Half Bad is another). The mystery aspect is intriguing and the characters are all so psychologically damaged, you literally cannot predict what will happen next, what with all their disorders shoved together in one place. Andrew Minyard, a literal, diagnosed psychopath, is particularly terrifying, as is Riko Moriyama, who is literally only in one scene of the entire book. Neil's description of his father also makes me apprehensive. The club scene was one of the most intense and terrifying things I've ever read, I still shudder when I think about it and it will likely haunt me for quite some time. What makes it all the more visceral and raw is that the book is set in an almost entirely contemporary setting (the second one I've read). Sure they play a made up sport, but their problems are gangsters and psychopaths and drugs and abusive parents, not demons or aliens or evil governments. Apparently the second book is even darker and I am READY just GIVE IT TO ME NOW!
And of course Timekeeper by Tara Sim. The other books on this list are all about evoking negative emotions, Timekeeper is not. Timekeeper is extremely cute and fluffy yet incredibly exciting with a fantastically imaginative world and mythos. Sure the mystery is intriguing and there are several genuinely heartwrenching moments, but ultimately, Timekeeper is a happy book, and I'm glad that I read one to counter all the doom and gloom of the others. That's not to knock Timekeeper; the characters, world and story are all wonderful and the emotional moments are handled just right.
Man, I flipped thru "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" and it still draws me close to literature in every way. I can't recommend it enough.
It's light enough to enjoy in small dozes and deep enough to hook you. It really introduced me to the world of books and I can't thank it enough for that.
A Tree Grows In Brooklyn is one I definitely won't forget.
I wrote up a bucket list at one point which included reading through a list of some of the most recognised classics. I haven't made it all the way through yet, but I've read a few and some of those have stood out to me. I especially appreciated The Secret Garden, which portrayed a beautiful setting that sticks in one's imagination, and Sense and Sensibility, which I admit is rather dramatic but has a lot of important lessons for us on the value of different types of love.
(I have to confess that I haven't read much in this category very recently; lately it's been mostly medical textbooks. It'll help get my degree, though, so it's worth it any way you want to look at it. :))
Ze Redwall zeriez o' courze. Anozer good book iz Dune by Frank Herbert. Ah firzt decoided tae read it becauze ah remembered a friend o' moine zayin' tvaz big book. Ah looked at ze book jacket und ze plot looked intereztin' zae ah checked it oot from ze zchool library und read it. I' tiz vonee o' ze bezt bookz ah 'ave ever read. It 'az good inzoightz intae zin'z loike Philozophy, Religion, Politicz, Toime, und innumerable ozerz. Tiz part o' ze Dune zeriez, vhich ah vant tae keep readin' but ah cannae becauze ah lozt ze zecond book Dune Messiah in me room zomevhere, zae ah ztill need tae keep lookin'. In ze meantoime ah am currently readin' Dune Ze Butlerian Jihad by 'iz zon Brian Herbert und anozer good author Kevin J. Anderson.
Ze zeriez zat firzt really got me intae readin' ze Ztar Varz novelz vaz ze Ztar Varz Jedi Academy trilogy by Kevin J. Anderson. Ah actually ztarted ziz zeriez viz ze zecond book Dark Apprentice und zen read ze final vone Championz O' Ze Force, und recently in January finizhed readin' ze firzt Jedi Zearch. Vone o' ze zin'z ah love aboot ziz zeriez (und ah enjoy practically everyzin' in ze zeriez) iz ze adventurez und fun, innocent chaoz o' ze Solo tvinz, Jaina Solo und Jacen Solo. Ah love ze trouble zey get intae und every part o' it zat zey are in. If ye're a Ztar Varz fan ye 'ave tae read ziz zeriez!
Anozer good Ztar Varz trilogy iz Ze Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn. Grand Admiral Thrawn iz a really major character und tiz juzt amazin' 'ov 'e can get zae much from lookin' at a race'z Art. It really 'elpz tae 'ave read ziz prior tae readin' ze Jedi Academy trilogy, but ye ztill can enjoy zem eizer vay.
Und anozer iz Ze Hitchhiker'z Guide Tae Ze Galaxy "trilogy" by Douglas Adams. Theze bookz are 'ilariouz und, alzough bein' zhort, are ztill major quality bookz und ztoriez. Zere iz ze Puff o' Logic part, ze anzver tae ze Ultimate Queztion O' Loife, Ze Univerze, Und Everyzin', ze Reztaurant At Ze End O' Ze Univerze, ze Flyin' part und numerouz ozerz. Ah actually 'ave nae read ze final book in ze trilogy Moztly Harmlezz, but ah vant tae zometoime. Ziz iz a major zeriez!
Wait I never spoke about
Wonders of the Invisible World by Christopher Barzak here? What a tragedy.
Wonders of the Invisible World was just an experience to read. I won't say anything more than that, as it's best to go into without any expectations or knowledge of what it's about. To sell the book, all you really need to do is quote the first sentence. "Here's the thing: we're all as thin as paper."
Now then, unforgettable, as I'm sure we all know, does not necessarily mean
good. In fact a lot of things you won't forget, precisely because of how awful they are. With that in mind:
Willful Machines by Tim Floreen is one of the most disappointing books I've ever read. Why? Are the characters boring? No they're amazing. Is the story bad? No it's really interesting. Okay well is it predictable? Somewhat, but not to a degree that means you can't enjoy it. So what is it? It's the ending, or rather, the lack thereof. The author seems to think that this book is a complete story and he has no concrete plans on when he's going to write the sequel. Well this book is desperately in need of a sequel, because NONE, and I mean ABSOLUTELY
NONE, of the storylines are resolved. The external plot? Cliffhangered. The character's internal struggles? Unresolved.
Spoiler
Did Nico succeed in downloading his consciousness onto the internet or is he dead? Who knows?
What is Dr. Waring planning next? Who knows?
How did President Fisher react to Lee's sexuality? Who. Bloody. Knows?
The fact that the author has the
nerve to call this a complete story is frankly an insult.
The Chosen by Chaim Potok left a huge impression on me. There are so many amazing subjects that it touches on and lessons that it teaches. Then it made me tear up at the end...
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. I feel strangely connected to this book and I'm not sure why. It kind of fits in with those nineteenth century English romances like Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre, but I like it a bit better.
Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare. Officially my favourite out of any of her books. If you go back and read her earlier works, which I have been doing, they are rather... I don't know, cringey? But there's a clear improvement you can see. LoS is definitely my favourite of her books, and The Dark Artifices is definitely my favourite of her series, even though it's not finished yet. It has the best characters, the most interesting plotline, the best twists, the most emotion, and the most daring of anything she's written. That's not to speak of the Cohort, who are definitely not intended to bear any resemblance to any real persons living or dead *cough.*
Shades of Magic by V. E. Schwab. Just literally everything about this series. The magic system is so interesting and unique, the different worlds are all so well crafted, and the story and characters are just so captivating. And then of course there's Kell. My sweet summer child who captured my heart from the get go. Kell's feelings and struggles throughout the series are so raw and heartbreaking. All he wants is to feel like a person, and not a tool for other people to use. I love a lot of fictional characters, but Kell is on another level that very few of them reach. These books wouldn't be anywhere near as good as they are without him.
One Tuesday Morning and Beyond Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury. It's about a woman whose firefighter husband is one of the responders on 9/11. I'm afraid to say more for fear of spoilers but they're both pretty emotional reads and those stuck with me.
Also the Angels Watching Over Me series by Michael Phillips. A post-Civil former slave girl and a white plantation owners' daughter meet after both their families have been slaughtered and become the best of friends while trying to keep up the pretense of the plantation owners' daughters' parents being alive so no one takes the plantation. Small spoiler: They do find out they're actually cousins.
Wow, the second series sounds fascinating. I'll have to look into it!
Blood Meridian is a very dark, very memorable book.
So is The Dark Portal by Robin Jarvis.
Strange, creepy, awesome...
^ I guess on that note I should say The Alchymist's Cat has stuck with me. I've even imagined about how I'd co-create a traditional animation of that before... in an ideal world. :P It would make such a great 2D film. Not really likely to happen... shame.
There are more books; I need to come back to this another time.
Silly as it may sound, the Dr. Seuss book Oh, the Places You'll Go! is special to me. My choir teacher got each of us one and wrote a little message to us inside, then read the book out loud to us at the final choir event of the year. I may have gotten something in my eye there at the end.
The message of the book is actually very profound, if you take the time to think about it.
Quote from: MeadowRabbit on September 22, 2017, 06:34:51 PM
^ I guess on that note I should say The Alchymist's Cat has stuck with me. I've even imagined about how I'd co-create a traditional animation of that before... in an ideal world. :P It would make such a great 2D film. Not really likely to happen... shame.
There are more books; I need to come back to this another time.
I'm hopefully getting that for my birthday. I haven't read it yet because I can't find it anywhere. Is it like the others? I know there are humans in it.
Quote from: Wylder Treejumper on September 22, 2017, 08:29:54 PM
Silly as it may sound, the Dr. Seuss book Oh, the Places You'll Go! is special to me. My choir teacher got each of us one and wrote a little message to us inside, then read the book out loud to us at the final choir event of the year. I may have gotten something in my eye there at the end.
The message of the book is actually very profound, if you take the time to think about it.
Seuss was often profound. It was sort of his trademark to write profound, meaningful stories, but package them in a child-friendly way.
Like, if you ever read
The Lorax when you were a kid, did you never find it to be really depressing? Like, it's literally about a bitter industrialist lamenting over the many mistakes they made. But then at the end there's that little seed of hope (if you'll pardon the pun) that maybe the mistakes of the past generation can be put right by their successors.
Actually yeah, I love
The Lorax. That's definitely a book I won't forget.
And then there's
If I Ran the Zoo, which is about getting lost in a wild fantasy, but then realising that hey, maybe reality isn't that bad.
I have a lot of feelings about Seuss.
The Lorax book is good, but don't get me STARTED on the movie.
I will never watch that movie.
Don't. Unless you do it for the memes.