- Books
Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
The story of a boy who finds the fate of the world resting on his shoulders. One of the best science fiction books ever. There's a whole series of them out there, and the ones I've read have been pretty good, but don't worry about reading the rest. Read Ender's Game. If you love it, stop there. If you can't stop thinking about it, go ahead and read the rest. "but what if I don't like it?" Then I shouldn't be telling you what to do because I just don't get you. You're weird.
Readability: 4.5
Staying Power: 5
Rereadability: 4
Ender's Shadow, by Orson Scott Card
The story of Ender's Game through the eyes of someone else. If you're saying, "but you said don't read the rest of the Ender's Game series unless . . ." I know what I said. Here's the thing, this isn't the Ender's Game series. It's something else. Kind of.
Readability: 5
Staying Power: 4.5
Rereadability: 4
Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
Not so much a book as a series. It starts with Storm Front, a great book, and probably the weakest one in the series (with the possible exception of White Night). if you saw the tv series, the books are not like that. As my roommate put it, the show was about a detective who happened to be a wizard. the books are about a wizard who happens to be a detective. It makes all the difference in the world. Trust me.
Some of you might be wondering why this gets topshelf, and Ender's game gets topshelf/frontshelf. Well, I told you, front shelf is the stuff that inspires conversation, topshelf is the stuff you re-read. Well, I re-read Dresden Files. A lot.
Readability: 5
Staying Power: 3.5
Rereadability: 4
Transformation, Restoration, Revelation, by Carol Berg
This is a trilogy, and I'm about eighty percent sure I've got it in the right order. I stumbled over these books a few years ago while I was wandering through bookstores, judging everything by its cover. The story centers around a prince and a slave and it's set in a well developed, fascinating world . . . and sometimes a well developed, fascinating world inside of the well developed, fascinating world.
Readability: 4.5
Staying Power: 4
Rereadability: 4
Dead Beyond the Fence, by Brian Kaufman
A novel, followed by a novella, about the zombie apocolpyse. It's a deep-horror tale which ends unhappily, then ends VERY unhappily. I highly recommend, but only for mature readers. It'll give the kiddies nightmares.
Readability: 4
Staying Power: 5
Rereadability: 3.5
Dog On It
by Spencer QuinnA mystery, or sorts, though it isn't a tough one to figure out. The real thrill of Dog On It is that it is written from the perspective of the P.I.'s dog. Though the dog is somewhat anthropomorphized, the author went to great trouble to make sure he didn't over-anthropomorphize his narrator. This is not a person wearing a dog's body, he is a dog who happens to understand what people are saying, though not what they mean, or why they care. Well worth the read.
Readability: 4
Staying Power: 3
Rereadability: 3
Holmes on the Range
by Steve HockensmithTwo brothers, both Cowboys living in Montana, get their hands on a Sherlock Holmes story. The elder brother becomes entranced and decides to teach himself how to 'deductify' like the great Holmes. I enjoyed it immensely. If you read it and enjoy it, there are several follow up books.
Readability: 4
Staying Power: 3
Rereadability: 2
Goblin Quest
by Jim C. HinesJig has it bad. Very bad. Nearsighted and runty, he's constantly tormented by the other goblins in his lair. Sure, he's the smartest goblin there, but what good is that when nobody will listen to you. Ever. Then, one day, his life goes from bad to worse when a group of adventurers take him hostage and force him to be their guide. A funny book with a great twist on the adventure fantasy, it's definitely a fun way to spend a rainy day. I also like the two follow up books.
Readability: 4
Staying Power: 1
Rereadability: 4
Florida Roakill
by Tim DorseyIt takes some time to get used to the style of writing, jumping from character to character, jumping through time, and it takes a bit of effort to keep track of all the different characters, at least, until they start dying off, but with a dark wit and twisted sense of morality and karma driving everything, this, the first book in an extended series, is fun, and involving.
Readability: 3.5
Staying Power: 2
Rereadability: 3
A Key for the Nonesuch
by Geary GravelA fun and lighthearted story, this book is literary popcorn: It isn't deep enough to enthrall, or original enough to inspire, but it is entertaining.
Readability: 4
Staying Power: 1
Rereadability: 2
How Like a God
by Brenda W. CloughA man wakes up one morning and finds that he has mental powers. How? He has no clue. Why? Uh, couldn't say. What will he do with them? Well, he'll start by screwing up, obviously. A lot of thoughts and ideas are explored in this book, but none are explored with enough depth, and, frankly, the one theme that I thought the book had ended up being sort of tossed at the end. But the book is written well, very well, actually, and honestly, I could have missed the theme. I think it's definitely worth the time it takes to read, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone reading it more closely than myself found more in it than I did.
Readability: 4
Staying Power: 3
Rereadability: 2
Stardust
by Neil GaimanThere is a wall between our world and another. There is a crack in that wall, and a young man in love is going to prove his worthiness by traveling to the other side. That's really all I want to say, I wouldn't want to give away too much. With regards to the author, however, I will deviate to say that it is important to realize that his style of writing is more fairy tale than fantasy, but not the fairy tales of our childhoods. If you've never read Neil Gaiman, you're missing out on something.
Readability: 4.5
Staying Power: 4.5
Rereadability: 3
Bunnicula
by James HoweFirst off, this is a children's book. If I read it now, I probably wouldn't appreciate it nearly as much as I did as a child. The first in a series of children's book, this is written from the perspective of a family dog, telling the tales of adventure he has with the family cat. Oh, by the way, the family cat is convinced that the family bunny is a vampire. Yep. A vampire. Anyhow, it's a fun series for kids.
Readability: 4
Staying Power: 3
Rereadability: 4
Good Omens
by Terry Pratchett & Neil GaimanA weird, wild, hilarious mix of religion, fantasy, and . . . uh, something I can't really put a name on, this is the story of how the Antichrist ended up being raised by a completely normal family, despite the best efforts of heaven and hell. More than that, it's the story of an angel and a demon, neither of whom is entirely loyal to his own side, who are trying to stop the end of the world from coming about just yet. Some people might find it offensive, but the average reader will enjoy the story. A lot.
Readability: 4.5
Staying Power: 5
Rereadability: 3
Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency
by Douglas AdamsAs with all of Douglas Adams' work, it's best to go in not knowing exactly what to expect, so I won't tell you about the story. Let me just say that it may well be impossible to read Douglas Adams without laughing so hard you cry.
Readability: 4.5
Staying Power: 4
Rereadability: 4
Kitty and the Midnight Hour
by Carrie VaughnAnother supernatural romance. I have to admit, I do have a bit of a chip on my shoulder when it comes to supernatural romances, and to me this is just another one of those. I read the first few in the series and, someday, when I get bored, I'll probably read the rest. The writing is decent, and the stories are interesting enough, but it isn't the kind of thing that draws me in and hooks me.
Readability: 4
Staying Power: 0
Rereadability: 3
Moon Called
by Patricia BriggsYes, it is another supernatural romance, yes it is a bit typical, she's not respected by the mortal world, but the immortals fall head over heals for her. Yes it can be a bit predictable. But Patricia Briggs is an excellent writer. I'm not going to say that every single scene in every single book has me on the edge of my seat, I'm not going to say I don't get a little frustrated by those predictable moments, but I still enjoy reading her. If you're into supernatural romance, she's definitely worth reading.
Readability: 4
Staying Power: 1
Rereadability: 3
Rolling Nowhere
by Ted ConoverI don't expect to mention any other nonfiction authors on this site. It might come up, I suppose, but it just doesn't strike me as likely. I stumbled onto one of Conover's books years ago, and now I buy them all. I'm not going to say that I agree with everything he believes in, or that I think every book he writes is a work of genius, but I will say that he's as easy to read as almost any other writer I've read, that his books are interesting, and that I respect the hell out of any man whose idea of research is to get off his butt and go live the story.
Readability: 4.5
Staying Power: 4.5
Rereadability: 2
Jumper
by Steven GouldThough I am bothered that the author doesn't try to hide his politics in his writing (especially the second book), Steven Gould is a solid writer, and he takes the time in this book to make his characters believable and interesting, developing them into three dimensional human beings. He also takes the time to explore the fantasy elements he introduces to his books, instead of simply shoving them into the story and relying on our suspension of disbelief to carry us through to the end.
Readability: 4.5
Staying Power: 2
Rereadability: 2
The Body Dwellers
by> Julie KazimerSet in a world divided, both physically and metaphorically, we follow Indeara, a mutant whose body heals from almost any wound. But while her body can heal, she carries deep and bloody emotional scars from the betrayal of her former lover. While there are a few plot points that seem to me to exist entirely for the reader and not make that much sense in the context of the actual story, over all this is a well developed world populated by interesting characters. I will say that the 'bad guys' seem to all be essentially the same, sadistic, sexual predators whose first thought in every situation is rape, but the good guys are more interesting, and more unusual. Over all, I enjoyed the story, and I look forward to Julie's upcoming 'F#(%ed up Fairy Tale.'
Readability: 3
Staying Power: 2.5
Rereadability: 2