Making a List, Help Me Check It Twice

[wayfaringwordhack]

I want to give my family ideas for Christmas* gifts (actually, I'm carefully planting the seed in Julien's ear), and BOOKS are in position number one.  Does anyone have a Must Read to recommend?  I am usually a genre reader--fantasy, especially epic--but I'm willing--nay, wanting--to read other things.

So, can anyone help a reader out in time for the holidays?


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* Before you pelt me with Halloween candy and declare it is too early to think about Christmas, remember that I'm in France and since any books for me will need to be ordered online from English speaking sellers, my in-laws need more time.

Comments

[frigg.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...

The High House by James Stoddard, fantasy and there's something about it that made it stand out for me. Can't quite put my finger on it, though. It might be the writing style.

Magic Kingdom for Sale - Sold by Terry Brooks, fantasy but light, not your usual preference. ;)

The Carpet Makers by Andreas Eschbach, fantasy and different.

Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov, not fantasy, but stark, simple, and sparse writing style. You might find someting this different from your own style interesting.

And of course nothing wrong with a little Amy Tan or Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni for some easy to read, non-fantasy reading.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the recommendations!

[clarentine]

There is a fabulous book I refer to every now and then when I want to find out when humanity discovered a particular concept--invaluable for worldbuilding. It's at home on my bookshelf. And, you know, for the life of me I can't remember the title or author. >:-( I'll try to remember to look at it tonight and get back to you on that.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

That sounds interesting. I'll nudge you if you forget. :P

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

DId you remember to look up the book info? :D

[clarentine]

Ah! Excellent timing. The book is The Discoverers--A history of man's search to know his world and himself, by Daniel J. Boorstin. Part One is on Time (The Heavenly Empire, From Sun Time to Clock Time, The Missionary Clock); Part Two is The Earth and The Seas (Geography of the Imagination, Paths to the East, Doubling the World, The American Surprise, Sea Paths to Everywhere); Part Three is Nature (Seeing the Invisible, Inside Ourselves, Science Goes Public, Cataloguing the Whole Creation); and Part Four is Society (Widening the Communities of Knowledge, Opening the Past, Surveying the Present). He talks about what happened, why it happened where it did, the crucial inventions of the time--in short, the result of man's insatiable curiosity.

I really found this an invaluable book to help me flesh out my second world societies.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Wow, that sounds not only fascinating but thorough. I'll put it on my list and hope someone buys it for me. If not, I can always get it for myself. >:)

[stillnotbored.livejournal.com]

I'm reading a book right now that is amazing, The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming. The writing in this book takes my breath away.

More I would recommend:

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

The Native Star and The Hidden Goddess by M. K. Hobson

Elfland by Freda Warrington

Chalice by Robin McKinley

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

I've seen The Kingdom of Ohio on your Goodreads updates, and the title intrigued me!

[stillnotbored.livejournal.com]

I only have a few pages to go and I'll be finished. I'll post a review on Goodreads then.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

I'll keep a look out for it. :D

[pjthompson]

The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook. Billed as steampunk romance, but that's such a paltry label. This is really one of the most epic imaginative books I've read in a long while, amazing worldbuilding and characters. Really superb. I'm just about to start the second books in the series, Heart of Steel.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a good read. *puts it on the list*

[pjthompson]

Hope you enjoy it.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

I hope someone buys it for me. :P