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    Your Elvenar Team

Book Recommendations

DeletedUser18687

Guest
The last book was by D Harkness. "Book of Life" Loved it!!!!! I'm re-reading Siver Ravenwolf " Solitaire Witch" just dusting off the brain cell.

Blessed Litha & Summer Solstice All
 

ajqtrz

Chef - loquacious Old Dog
"Undaunted Courage," by Stephen Ambrose tells the tale of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. If you love history and wish to get a sense of what it means to forge a 2000+ mile trail through wilderness encountering new and unknown lands and peoples with nothing by what you can carry and your wits, this is the book for you.

"A Peoples History of the Supreme Court" by Peter Irons. A confessed liberal takes a look at the history of the Supreme Court and judges its' members one by one, most of them failing. This is not a conservative tract and Mr. Irons is a self confessed believer in an activist court. If you are a conservative this book will frustrate you as Mr. Irons travels through the history of cases, highlighting how the Supreme Court has and has not used it's power to change society. When it does, Mr. Irons is full of praise. When it does not, scorn. The greatest insult he lays at the feet of some of the individual justices is that they "failed to have any appreciable impact" on society. To Mr. Irons the Supreme Court is a locus of power to change things and fails only when things are not changed.

Highly recommended even though I strongly disagree with what his vision of what the Supreme Court ought to be and how it ought to function.

For a contrary view, though not nearly as well written, see "Men in Black" by Mark R. Levin, the talk show host. This book hammers away at the liberal movement within the judicial system and seeks to stop the activist courts. His analysis is only moderately deep and while I agree with his general conclusion, I find he doesn't really go deep enough to justify it. Still, a good enough read in contrast to Irons book.

Finally, because I'm on a role, "The Accidental Superpower: The Next Generation of American Preeminence and the Coming Global Disorder" by Peter Zeihan. This book is unusual in that it takes seriously the impact of geography on history and discusses the United States rise to and position of power in the world as a natural outgrowth of its geography. If you believe or think perhaps geography has anything to do with politics and economics, but have never explored the issue, this is a great place to start.

AJ
 

The Unbeliever

Well-Known Member
The Eisenhorn trilogy by Dan Abnett; 'Xenos', 'Malleus' and 'Hereticus'
(now announced to become a live-action TV series!!)
"The Inquisition is feared throughout all the worlds of the Imperium. They are the Emperor's avenging flame, routing out heresy and corruption in all of its guises. Gregor Eisenhorn is one such man - chosen for his unswerving faith, iron will and dogged persistence. Despite being a puritan dedicated to the destruction of Chaos and all its dark followers, even Eisenhorn becomes tempted to use the vast power of Chaos against itself. By crossing the line into radicalism he takes his first step along the dangerous path to become the very thing he has sworn to destroy."

As for the setting of the 41st millennium itself:
'It is the 41st millennium. For more than a thousand centuries the Emperor has sat immobile on the Golden Throne of Earth.
He is the master of mankind by the will of the gods, and master of a million worlds by the might of his inexhaustible armies. He is a rotting carcass writhing invisibly with power from the Dark Age of Technology. He is the Carrion Lord of the Imperium for whom a thousand souls are sacrificed every day, so that he may never truly die.

Yet even in his deathless state, the Emperor continues his eternal vigilance. Mighty battlefleets cross the daemon-infested miasma of the warp, the only route between distant stars, their way lit by the Astronomican, the psychic manifestation of the Emperor's will.
Vast armies give battle in his name on uncounted worlds. Greatest amongst his soldiers are the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines, bio-engineered super-warriors. Their comrades in arms are legion: the Imperial Guard and countless planetary defense forces, the ever-vigilant Inquisition and the tech-priests of the Adeptus Mechanicus to name only a few.
But for all their multitudes, they are barely enough to hold off the ever-present threat from aliens, heretics, mutants - and worse.

To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruellest and most bloody regime imaginable. These are the tales of those times.
Forget the power of technology and science, for so much has been forgotten, never to be re-learned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim darkness of the far future there is only war.
There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods.'
 

Deleted User - 312108

Guest
Fantasy:
Elizabeth Moon - The Deed of Paksenarrion
Brandon Sanderson - Stormlight Archive
Katherine Kerr - Deverry Cycle
Kristin Britain - Green Rider
Margerat Weis & Tracy Hickman - Dragons of Autumn Twilight
Sarah J Maas - Court of Thorn and Roses
Naomi Novik - Uprooted and her Tremaire series (which is historical UF)
Barb Hendee - Mist-torn witches
Romantic Fantasy
Sharon Shinn - Wrapt in Crystal, Archangel, Shapechanger's Wife & the Rider series

Urban Fantasy
Ilona Andrew - Everything... just everything but especially Innkeeper and Hidden Legacy
Nalini Singh - Angel's Blood (Guild Hunter Series)
Jim Butcher - Storm Front (Harry Dresden, really kicks off with Dead Beat though)
Anne Bishop - Written in Red
Patricia Briggs - Moon Called
Ann Aguirre - Corine Solomon is UF, but she also has SF
Zen Cho - Sorcerer to the Crown
Maggie Stiefver - Raven Boys

SF/Fantasy
Holly Lisle - Hunting the Corrigan's Blood

KU
Lindsay Buroker

Mystery
Kerry Greenwood - Cocaine Blues
Nero Wolfe
Longmire
 

LilWolf De Lioncourt

Well-Known Member
I've always like all of Stephen King's book even tho with a lot of books the endings of the books sometimes are completely different then the movie endings.. course for me I love Horror movies and I read the books too:D:) I'm also very much into the Paranormal as well:D
 

gjetski

Member
For Whom the Bell Tolls and On the Beach are two books I read over 20 years ago and still stay with me. I haven't read much fiction over the past 15 years. I remember liking a Janny Wurts series and Terry Goodkind.
 

Vergazi

Well-Known Member
There's a book entitled Everyday Life Through the Ages I would highly recommend if you can find it in a library near you. It's a wonderful overview of many types of regular everyday people from various social strata and from various times, places and cultures. It discusses customs, habits, common tools and technology of those times and generally how people lived as opposed to generals and rulers.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/579926.Everyday_life_through_the_ages
 

acygnus

New Member
If you like Neil Gaiman, you might also like Neal Stephenson, his Baroque Trilogy is amazing. incredibly dense writing, it took me a couple of years to get through it, but very worth it. his earlier stuff is easier to read.
Also CJ Cherryh has several different series out.
then there's singles such as Ahab's Wife by Sean Jeter Naslund, or anything by Isabel Ajende
if you're into fantasy type stuff Robin McKinley is worth checking out, as well as Patricia McKillip.

enjoy!
 

Darielle

Chef, Scroll-Keeper, and Buddy Fan Club Member
For an inspiring, sweet love story, try The Bridges of Madison County. It's short and can be easily read in a day. I didn't expect it to be worth much because I'm normally into sci-fi/fantasy, but it had me crying at the end. I wish I had a love like that. :)
 

Alpha Lyrae

Well-Known Member
Currently into Fae-inspired fantasy books. First, I read A Court of Thorns and Roses series. Now, I'm reading the Throne of Glass series. Both my Sarah J. Maas. Thanks for the recommendation @Lyleth !

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84364d2d592be4a15e979fe8b026be9e.jpg
 

ajqtrz

Chef - loquacious Old Dog
@Darielle I agree. The Bridges of Madison County isn't just a sweet love story either. It really asks the reader to consider the questions of fate, self-control, and sacrifice. I loved it much.

Along those lines there is also an older book I recommended far above in this thread, "Bread and Wine" by Ignazio Silone. And if you really want to stretch yourself, try Puskin, "Eugene Onegin"

AJ
 

NightshadeCS

Well-Known Member
I recently read a book I just LOVED: "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell" by Susanna Clarke.

It is one of those great novels that inserts magic into our real world, though this real world is more the stuff of Jane Austen. The writing style perfectly mimics that of an 18th or 19th century novelist, with all the mores and social conventions thereof. It is a long book, which is wonderful, since there is no sequel and I wish there was!
 

Alpha Lyrae

Well-Known Member
I recently read a book I just LOVED: "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell" by Susanna Clarke.

It is one of those great novels that inserts magic into our real world, though this real world is more the stuff of Jane Austen. The writing style perfectly mimics that of an 18th or 19th century novelist, with all the mores and social conventions thereof. It is a long book, which is wonderful, since there is no sequel and I wish there was!

I started that one and couldn't get into it. I'll have to give it another try. Sometimes it's a timing thing for me. Perhaps, now is the time!
 

NightshadeCS

Well-Known Member
I started that one and couldn't get into it. I'll have to give it another try. Sometimes it's a timing thing for me. Perhaps, now is the time!
Books are funny, not every one is good for everyone. : ) I listened to it on audio, since I can multitask that way. It was good.
 

Henroo

Oh Wise One
I just discovered this thread. I have a few suggestions. Jim Butcher is one. Several people upthread have suggested him, but I would second their recommendation. His books are really good! If you are into urban fantasy, I would also suggest Laurell K. Hamilton. The Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter books are excellent. An author I have not seen suggested anywhere in this thread is David Weber. And if you like Sci-Fi, then he is worth checking out. He has 2 major series. The Honor Harrington series is pretty much futuristic, military based sci-fi. Basically the early books are Horatio Hornblower set in outer space. His other major series is the Safehold series. That is a bit more complex. I would classify it as alternate history. Essentially in this series, Earth reached the stars. Then the Terran Federation encountered a genocidal bunch of advanced aliens. Every plant was destroyed. But they sent out a last ditch colony fleet way beyond the reach of the aliens. The series takes place on the planet this fleet terraformed. Everybody on the planet was programmed to forget what happened. But there is 1 Cyborg (also the main character) who remembers everything. It is an amazing series. Book 1 is called "Off Armaggedon Reef"
 

Alpha Lyrae

Well-Known Member
If you are into urban fantasy, I would also suggest Laurell K. Hamilton. The Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter books are excellent.

Loved the Anita Blake series! ;) I devoured them.

I'll check out your other recommendations on Goodreads. I think I have some Jim Butcher books on my To Read list already.

Thanks!
 
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