I haven't finished any books for a while, which basically means nothing I've been reading has been engaging enough. Going by the smell of the pages isn't an effective way to separate the wheat from the chaff.

So what are some books worth reading?

As far as fiction goes, I liked The Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov. I also completed The Watchmen.

I can't recommend any non-fiction, because what I read is strictly for research.

Roger Zelazny's Amber Chronicles
Heinlein's-Moon is a Harsh Mistress

Scott Lynch's-Lies of Locke Lamorra (not sure if that is how you spell Lamorra). Also called the tales of the Gentleman Bastards.

I tend to see good books (or, literature) as something that takes an observation and attempts to represent it through words. It's difficult to describe, but when you read some books you sit back and say "wow." The author has written something profound, something that represents truth in the world. These books tend to be timeless which is why they are usually canonical - from Shakespeare to Melville, the ideas they write about are still and will always be pertinent.

That being said, if you want some great short reads might I recommend Bartleby, the Scrivener: A Story of Wall Street or The Fall of the House of Usher ? The former is even more pertinent now that ever with the recent "Occupy" movement. If you're into something more modern, Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is a science-fiction/metaphysical novel that really explores what it means to be "awake."

I believe the Demonata series by Darren Shan is good but that could be just me, if you like blood gore and a somewhat good plot then you may enjoy it too.

Here's a few for ya:

-- The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. A real lengthy piece of work spanning 14 books, but it has a brilliantly in-depth plot, a HUGE, well-developed cast, and pads out the typical fantasy fare with political intrigue, engaging and realistic romances, and so much internal struggle for the three lead males that it's a wonder they haven't all gone completely crazy. The first book is called The Eye of The World and has a definite Tolkien-esque feel to it, but after the third book the series certainly comes into its own.

-- The Elenium trilogy by David Eddings. The first fantasy novels I ever read, I'm biased in recommending this. Eddings crafts a nice a brilliant fantasy world where religion is the constant, and one of my favourite aspects is watching the interactions between different groups of church knights. The first book is The Diamond Throne.

-- The Redemption of Althalus by David Eddings. (Yes, I'm a fan.) A great stand-alone book that kinda gives the same feeling of epicness a series does. Best things about the book? A well-written war and the despair as a man's sense of truth crashes around him.

-- The Riftwar Saga by Raymond E Feist. I read the first book, Magician years and years ago, but it was only recently that I realised it was a whole series of books. Magician is an epic tale of how two ordinary servant-boys become more than they could ever have dreamed. The second two books in the series I found weren't quite as good, but they engaged well enough by showing the consequences of the titular riftwar. Also, Pug is such a stupid name!!

-- Dune by Frank Herbert. A classic in the Fantasy/Sci-Fi genre, it is 'technically' a sci-fi given its setting, but don't be fooled. It is totally a fantasy novel, and has all the necessary elements: Prophecies coming true, aloof organisations that use 'magic', a people rising to power form oppression and war. It's the first in a very big series of books, but I've only read this. Must get round to reading the rest, actually.

-- The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. One of the classic epics, it describes a man's journey through the afterlife. A difficult read, not least because of it being written as a poem, but definitely worth battling through.

Shané wrote:Obernewtyn- By Isobelle Carmody (Amazing series)

Eragon, Eldest, Brisinger....and now Inheritance ;) - Christopher Paolini

The Uglies

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (very sad but...)

Once, Then and Now (three seperate books on Holocaust)- Morris Gleitzman

'The Uglies' trilogy is amazing. As is 'The Host' by Stephanie Meyer (much better read than Twilight in my personal opinion).
I also really enjoyed a book named 'Graceling'.
It depends on what you're into I guess. I like a good fantasy with a little bit of romance, but that's me.

Lord Saladin wrote:
-- Dune by Frank Herbert. A classic in the Fantasy/Sci-Fi genre, it is 'technically' a sci-fi given its setting, but don't be fooled. It is totally a fantasy novel, and has all the necessary elements: Prophecies coming true, aloof organizations that use 'magic', a people rising to power form oppression and war. It's the first in a very big series of books, but I've only read this. Must get round to reading the rest, actually.

YEEEEEEEESSSSSS! As somebody who has read the entire Dune series including the House series and the Butlerian Jihad series, I can tell you that the best has yet to come. God Emperor of Dune--the fourth installment of the original series--was my personal favorite of the original series. In my personal opinion however, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (who jointly wrote the House, Butlerian Jihad and remaining books in the Dune series) just aren't the same caliber of writers as Frank Herbert was, bless his soul. Then again, just my opinion.

As for you dealing with it, a couple of suggestions:

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein. This one is especially good if you're into political morality and the question of the value of military virtues. If you've seen the movie, disregard the movie entirely, it's similarities with the book are few and far between.

Trouble on Triton by Samuel R. Delany Jr. This one's an oldie, but a goodie. If you're at all interested in the theoretical evolution of our sociological constructs as a species, this book will twist your views into new dimensions entirely. It's also amusing to read it and see how many predictions about the future the author got right, what he got wrong, and what was just...'wut'.

Empire of Man series by David Weber and John Ringo. This is just pure, heart-pounding fun military science fiction. This series is all about survival, killing and political intrigue. It's one of those series that you may want to read if you don't want mind bending questions to just keep appearing in your mind.

On Killing by Lt.Col. Dave Grossman. Okay, so this one is quite a bit heavier and is non-fiction. This work is a historical analysis of the psychological cost of killing in war and society on both the killer and society itself. This book analyzes what enables people (soldiers and civilians) to kill and what are the costs of doing so. Personally I think this is a book everybody should read, especially for those who are out of touch with the military services of their country. If you do read this though, prepare to be thinking about it a lot and it is not for the faint of heart.

The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. Most people don't realize that this book is a political commentary and that the lessons contained within it are mostly ridicules of the Medici family; Machiavelli's revenge for their patriarch breaking his legs. Some of the lessons in here though are of value and overall reading the entire book just to get a better grasp of the political structure of Renaissance Europe is worth it. A short, sweet read.

Wizard and the Grove by Tanya Huff, High Fantasy at its apex.

Earthsea Series by Ursula k le Guin, Ursula is to English as Musashi is to the katana.

Eight Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins, Tom's style is..........................................different.

Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind, Gets a bit preachy toward the end but good enough to make me cry several times and I'm like macho and stuff.

Tao Teh Ching by Lao Tzu, Best and only religious text I ever read.

Journey to Ixtlan by Carlos Castaneda, Will change the way you view reality.

The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene, Will also change the way you view reality.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, Like everything great people either despise or adore it.

Oh my friend, there are millions of wonderful stories out there waiting to be read, each a new and yet soon familiar friend. Its hard to list what books are worth reading, as I believe most all of them are. It just depends on your tastes. The Watchmen is one of my favorites as well, so I might be able to suggest some based off that. Try the Sandman Chronicles, and if you like that, even if you don't actually, try American Gods and The Dark Tower series. They are fabulous modern era epics. For good fun reading I might recommend Mortal Coils, and it's sequel, All That Lives Must Die, or the Demonata series. If you like realistic fiction you might try It's Kind of a Funny Story. I could give you a better list if you give me some genre requirements, I simply love to many books.

The Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima, there are currently 3 books out.

Solo Wing Pixy wrote:I'm a huge book nerd.

Watchmen is a great choice on your part. If you liked it, be sure to check out Alan Moore's other work, especially V for Vendetta and From Hell.

I recently finished the Night Angel Trilogy, by Brent Weeks and was definitely impressed. I'm currently reading the first book in his Lightbringer series, "The Black Prism" I'd also recommend the Dragonlance series, which is huge, but most specifically, the Chronicles Trilogy and The Second Generation, and the Dark Disciple Trilogy.

I read historical fiction too, and I am currently reading "The Winter War" by William Durbin. I am very much enjoying it. Also, The Red Badge of Courage is a classic.

I so agree with you! I loved the night Angel Trilogy and I just got Black Prism recently haha XD.

ahem.

anyway I must recommend Katherine Kerr's novels. She has a whole saga that she printed out in different cycles or pieces but is a complete story so you'll have to read them in order. There are about 13 or 14 of them but they are amazing. It travels through a whole bunch of different life times and reincarnations that all started with one mistake and how it just tangled up everything every life and how everyone tried to fix it in the end and then the real dark magic starts coming out. It is a great read even if it is long. I love it so much. The first book is Daggerspell ^^

"The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro is my current favorite. It is told from the perspective of a butler recounting his days of serving his lord. What really struck me about this book was how perfectly worded everything was. It was meticulous, and was so well wrought I was engrossed until the very end. It's hard to describe it, but Ishiguro does an amazing job with his wordplay overall- especially when writing the Butler, James Stevens' dialogue.

Neil Stephenson has really been occupying my time lately.
The Diamond Age and Snow Crash by him are both awesome. Set in really cool universes with even cooler characters.

Peter V. Brett - The warded man (In the US). The painted man (In Europe). The first book in a five book series, the third book is slotted to come out in 2013. An interesting book that starts off in a world that I would guess to be around the medieval times. Except it is in a world that is plauged by demons which take the form of elements (Fire, wood, stone, etc.). That can only emerge during the night when the sun is not around to destroy them. They kill and feast on the humans who have forgotten how to fight back. Their only defense are wards drawn on the ground that provide a invisible barrier between the demons who want to destroy them.

Joe Haldeman - The Forever war. A very interesting book that follows one character as he helps fight a war against an alien race that the humans know almost nothing about. This book follows the evolution of humans as a species, the earth and culture as it changes over many years. How would you live in a world where same sex marriages and relations were almost non existant and to then be thrust into a new world where opposite sex relations were frowned upon and thought to be disgusting?

I definitely did not do justice to the books with my descriptions.

I will always swear by the Skulduggery Pleasant series. The man write really well, and the series is billed as for children, but its fast outpacing that in language, content, and atmosphere. It really did change how I write completely, and for the better. He's a screenwriter himself, so all the scenes read ready-for-film .. lots of action, lots of character revealed through dialogue and action rather than being given an all-access pass to their brain .. that sort of thing.