Book thread! Need suggestions, let's do this!

[darkewaffle]

I don't do as much reading as I used to sadly but Catch 22 is brilliant, though you may find it to meander a bit much. It's a darkly humorous look at World War II from the soldiers inside it. Also the movie is pretty good.

Additionally "House of God" is amazing. Funny, sexy, dirty, disturbing, witty, beautiful. A tale of the first year of internships in the vaunted "House of God" hospital and the emotional, sexual, and personal distress it creates in them as they band together and then proceed to split themselves apart.

 

[Gunslinger08]

Forgot to mention Fahrenheit 451. A classic that is a quick read.

 

[tynopik]

Has no one mentioned the Honor Harrington series by David Weber?

sci-fi: yes
end-of-world: well, for some worlds
Warfare/Battle/Action: yes/yes/yes
Strategy, Politics, Wit: yes/yes/yes
Fast paced: yes (some debate this for some of the middle books, but i think so)
Space: yes
Future: yes
Governments: yes

also Kris Longknife series by Mike Shepherd

 

[nitsuj3580]

The first book written was Transfer of Power which is a good starting point, but Mitch Rapp's back story is in American Assassin. Definitely recommend this series.

Came in to post about these. I've read them all and always look forward to the next in the series.

When buying the last one, Amazon's recommendation features recommended Brad Taylor to me. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_tc_2_..._id=B003UQZJ2U

I've read both and enjoyed them.

 

[Stayfr0sty]

Battlefield 3: The Russian
If you played the single player campaign of the game you will love this book.
Im reading it now and am hooked. It follows the behind the scene story you didnt see in the game, specifically of that Dima spetznatz character.

 

[sactoking]

In addition to finding some good fiction books, I'd also like some non-fiction to read. There is a huge list of books and topics to choose from. A few categories that might be of interest to me.

Psychology
Sports
Investing
..... and other books that might actually provide knowledge that can aid me in everyday life.

The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb would be invaluable reading. It's not related to the Portman/Kunis movie, but is about how everything you know about risk and probability is wrong. Written by a derivatives trader who left the business before the great bust because he knew (generally) that it was coming.

 

[Delita]

The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb would be invaluable reading. It's not related to the Portman/Kunis movie, but is about how everything you know about risk and probability is wrong. Written by a derivatives trader who left the business before the great bust because he knew (generally) that it was coming.

It's a good read, but something that could really be expressed in a few pages as opposed to an entire book. An excellent book on the history and concepts of risk is Against the Gods by Bernstein.

 

[TheNinja]

just about everyone I know who liked Hunger Games also liked the "Uglies" series. it's about a future society where everyone is made to look exactly the same through plastic surgery. (4 books in the series, but the last can be safely ignored.)

also, if you have a Kindle, checkout "Wool"... it's a series of 6 novellas. it's really, really, really great. it's about a society living inside of a nuclear fallout shelter, generations after anyone even remembers why they're there or what's outside.

I think I"m going to get the Omnibus edition for the Kindle. I actually don't have Kindle, but I have Kindle for PC that works fine for me. It's only $4.99 for the entire 5 set series. I'll spend more than that on 1 lunch that is gone in 15 minutes.

Got it and read the first "Wool" novella. It was really really good.

 

[Cuda1447]

The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb would be invaluable reading. It's not related to the Portman/Kunis movie, but is about how everything you know about risk and probability is wrong. Written by a derivatives trader who left the business before the great bust because he knew (generally) that it was coming.

Ooh, good suggestion. Thanks.

Lots of great fiction that has been suggested, you're the first with a non-fiction suggestion. Highly appreciated!

 

[glenn1]

The Orphan Master's Son

It's a well-researched novel about North Korea from an American author - good stuff.

 

[DominionSeraph]

About 200 pages into Stephen King's Under The Dome - and it's got me hooked...

no, no, no, no, no.
The first 200 pages are good. Unfortunately the 800 pages following that are a travesty. King's editor should have kept him on some sort of track; instead he flails away at meaningless subplots, and then, after you've been dying for him to get on with the main plot, he totally rips you off by using a deus ex machina.


Anyway OP, I'd say:
X-Wing series. (Sci-Fi, fast-paced)

If you like Techno-thrillers I'd put Larry Bond's Red Phoenix above anything by Clancy.

Neromancer

 

[dmoney1980]

The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson is a great read. I just finished The Name Of The Wind day one, great book as well.

 

[frostedflakes]

based on the OPs comments, not sure that Dune will be what he wants.

How so? One thing that jumped out at me is the politics and conspiring against each other by the great houses in the books, seemed like something OP might get into.

 

[beach2nd]

also, if you have a Kindle, checkout "Wool"... it's a series of 6 novellas. it's really, really, really great. it's about a society living inside of a nuclear fallout shelter, generations after anyone even remembers why they're there or what's outside.

Just finished reading the omnibus edition of Wool based on the recommendation of this thread and it was great. OP should definitely check it out if he hasn't already. Is the author writing a 6th novella or was that it?

 

[Wag]

A Canticle for Leibowitz
anything by Gene Wolfe
etc, etc.

Need I continue? There are a ton of "Best Sci-Fi" book lists on the net, much of which will just relist what we put here.

 

[sactoking]

It's a good read, but something that could really be expressed in a few pages as opposed to an entire book. An excellent book on the history and concepts of risk is Against the Gods by Bernstein.

Yes, he's overly verbose but it's not a tough read by any stretch so the extra words don't really get in the way (and if the reader isn't quick to pick up on things the repetition is actually helpful).