Book reader community.
here are a few of my favorites
Oryx and Crake
The Lathe of Heaven
Some great books there, that reminds me I need to read some Susanna Clark.
The expanse. I'm on book 8 right now and it's been going fast. The world building is so good. It makes you wish you were there with them. If you're into hard scifi, then you'll love this series
Same, when I was reading The Expanse I read every moment I had available, even sacrificing sleep time. I just couldn't stop. The last book I read cover to cover without stopping, spending even the whole night reading without sleeping lol
I read almost exclusively fantasy and sci fi. Here's a few favourites.
Sci fi: Red Rising Trilogy Bobiverse The Martian and Project Hail Mary
Fantasy: The First Law Trilogy (my absolute favourite of everything I've read) Brandon Sanderson (literally any of his stuff. If you're looking for a trilogy, start with Mistborn and if a stand alone, Warbreaker). Don't be overwhelmed by his Cosmere world, if you only read mistborn era 1 it wraps up in a nice bow. Robin Hobbs first trilogy is a nice introduction to her series. If you don't love it it wraps up nicely after the first trilogy.
Dystopian: Unwound by Neal Schusterman Arc of the Scythe by Neal Schusterman
I've read the entire Robin Hobbs Elderlings series, all of Sanderson's cosmere books, and Abercrombie's First Law series.
If I had to pick and start all over again, I'd go with the Elderlings series. It's complete and it's amazing. Cosmere would be next. The first law series wasn't as enjoyable for me.
Project Hail May by Andy Weir was fantastic.
I feel like I have read quite a few books that I felt that way about, but it's always hard to bring them to mind when someone asks. That said, the first few that popped into my head:
If you love The Martian, you are going to love Project Hail Mary. The audiobook is really good as well.
+1 for Project Hail Mary, the paper edition at least. Had me gripped.
A Short History of Chinese Philosophy by Fung Yu-Lan. I spent pretty much all of my time off work reading it. I found it insanely interesting since I knew almost nothing about Chinese philosophy, and the book is written specifically for people like that. The way their schools of thought developed through the ages and were influenced by each other constantly as one became dominant was very fascinating.
Anything by Blake Crouch I've flown through (Dark Matter, Recursion, Upgrade). As others have mentioned, The Martian and Project Hail Mary are really great as well. A few others I couldn't put down over the past few years:
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
The Ferryman by Justin Cronin
Brother by Ania Ahlborn
Mistborn 1 - 3 (The Final Empire, The Well of Ascension, & The Hero of Ages) by Brandon Sanderson
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo
Monk and Robot Series by Becky Chambers
The Fisherman by John Langan
I scrolled all the down the comments and didn't see Discworld by Terry Pratchett. Don't listen to anyone and just start reading it. There's no right or wrong way to do it.
Maybe the wrong way is to start with Book 1. I'd say try 'Witches' first, as I found the first book a bit offputting.
Since his work hasn't been mentioned yet:
Any of the Discworld Novels by Sir Terry Pratchett. My personal favorites are the ones following the Wizzard Rincewind. But, I'm a sucker for the reluctant hero style story. These start with the the novel The Colour of Magic. One of the more popular series within Discworld are the books which follow Sam Vimes. They play on the Noir genre and start with the novel Guards! Guards!. There are several other threads within the Discworld which can be followed independently, though they all do tend intersect from time to time.
I'm finishing up book #15 - Men at Arms.
I'm going to be so sad when I finish. Sam Vimes is in this one.
I can't wait to hear from Rincewind again.
Imajica by Clive Barker.
Reading this right now, and a little over halfway through. Enjoying it, but it took a long time for me to really sink my teeth into it. It's a very long book and a slow burn.
It’s so intricate and intimate - I just disappeared into the book and isn’t that what we need sometimes?
for some reason i only get this with biographies or memoirs because i am very stupid - it's easier to process and internalize the writing when you know it's about the real world and you already perhaps know some of the facts
Fairy Tale by Stephen King. I wish I could forget it and read all over again.
Not sure if your into light novels, recently I've been addicted to Acendence of A Bookworm.
What is a light novel?
End of the World running club. As someone the UK the concept of a massive apocalyptic event set in the uk was intriguing. I loved the book.
Also Sphere by Michael Crichton. In my own head canon, I seem to recall reading this in one sitting over a single night I was doing an all nighter. It was just super gripping!
Between Two Fires. If you're into fantasy and dark/horror then this is right up your alley.
I literally just finished this book last night and wow what a ride.
Something about the atmosphere this book created was just mesmerizing. I absolutely loved it.
Old man's war by John Scalzi. Got it as a gift for our annual Christmas book exchange and finished it that day
Hyperion Cantos -Dan Simmons Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson A deepness in the sly - Vernor Vinge Insane City - Dave Barry Where Eagles Dare by Alistair MacLean.
The Kingkiller Chronicles is a series by Patrick Rothfuss. The first book is The Name of the Wind. Definitely one of my absolute favorites
Be forewarned that the author has not released the third book and last I checked there’s no release date on the horizon
Lilith by george mc donald
Not mentioned much lately are the Gunslinger books. They really get going into page turners.
Very recently, Mrs March by Virginia Feito. I was just gripped, I finished it in a day. It was compulsive, I just had to know what the main character was going to do next and how it was all going to unravel.
Every time I buy the new Alex Delaware novel written by Jonathan Kellerman I read it straight through in one seating. I own the entire collection in hardback.
My two favorites so far this year are Babel by RF Kuang and The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings
Seconding Babel. Such a powerful read for me as I grew up in a former British colony. Some of the parallels to the real world colonial system and how it affects locals are so relatable, even today!
Hyperion. And that book was fucking heavy.
@Evolone The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells and the Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers (anything by Becky Chambers, really). Also anything by Gail Carriger.
Not knowing what you have read...
The Farseer Trilogy is NOT what you think. It drew me into reading the next few (and really long) trilogies... an awesome journey. LONG but not long enough...
For good fantasy I'd recommend the mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. It's also a great entry point to the cosmere, especially since the subsequent quadrolgy set on the same planet is finished now.
Beware you will almost certainly get sucked into the rest of the cosmere, it's awesome!
Not exactly “book books” per se, but I’ve been obsessed with Junji Ito lately. Just finished Uzumaki, and I did literally start it and not put it down until I was finished lol
Here are a few nonfiction books I couldn't stop reading and ultimately finished in a couple of days. They might be a little niche, but I'd recommend them for everyone.
"Tranny" by Laura Jane Grace (autobiography by the lead singer of the band Against Me!)
"Where You'll Find Me" by Ty Gagne (story and analysis of a woman who died hiking New Hampshire's White Mountains in winter)
"This Land" by Christopher Ketcham (kind of one big reported essay on how big industry and cowboy culture are destroying the American West)
I absolutely plowed through How to be Perfect by Michael Schur. Popcorn reading for intro philosophy but poignant enough to stick with you.
Camino by Anya Niewierra. She's Dutch so I'm not sure if the book also exists in English.
Before that, Ready Player One. Later on I heard there is some criticism/toxicity around genders, right elitism and the like, but I never noticed that when reading it.
Gibson's sprawl trilogy when I read them back in '89. The fact that it had many short chapters made it easy to consume in quick bursts of reading
The Anthropocene Reviewed is the coziest book I’ve ever listened to. John Green reads it himself for the audio book and you can really feel his emotions and charm through it.