Book List

[DragonsAreReal]

We all have to-do lists that may or may not ever get done but one list that I've never procrastinated on is my to-read list. Mind you, we all have books that we want to read eventually but I'm talking about a list of books that are so near in your future, they're almost already read. So I've made this thread not just to share my own list but because I'm also interested in what the RPG community is reading.
So go ahead and post your lists. Include the next book in the series you're currently reading or even the book you've just started. I'm going to list the next three books on my list and even take a little time to describe what attracted me to each book. So without further ado:

The Plucker by Brom
"Jack and his Box are stuck beneath the bed with the dust, spiders, and other castaway toys. Forced to face a bitter truth--children grow up and toys are left behind--Jack believes this is the worst that can happen to a toy. But when the Plucker, a malevolent spirit, is set loose upon the world of make-believe and Jack is thrust into the unlikely role of defending Thomas, the very child that abandoned him, he finds out there is worse that can befall a toy - far worse. Jack, and a beleaguered last handful of toys, must struggle to rise above their simple roles as playthings in an effort to save the boy they love." -Brom

I've always been a fan of Gerald Brom's artwork and a lot of you may have been, too without even knowing it. If you've ever played in Dungeons & Dragons' campaign setting Dark Sun, then you've surely seen some of his amazing art. I often see his art style being described as Gothic. I first discovered Brom as a writer when I read Krampus: The Yule Lord around Christmas time of 2012.
As you might be able to tell from the synopsis above, Brom's writing is not for the faint of heart as it contains some very adult content. Brom himself describes this particular title as being a children's fairy tale for adults.

The Child Thief by Brom
"Like so many before me, I am fascinated by the tale of Peter Pan, the romantic idea of an endless childhood amongst the magical playground of Neverland. But, like so many, my mind’s image of Peter Pan had always been that of an endearing, puckish prankster, the undue influence of too many Disney films and peanut-butter commercials.
That is, until I read the original Peter Pan, not the watered-down version you’ll find in the children’s bookshops these days, but James Barrie’s original –and politically uncorrected—version, and then I began to see the dark undertones and to appreciate just what a wonderfully bloodthirsty, dangerous, and at times cruel character Peter Pan truly is." -Brom

Another Brom book. I might actually read this one before The Plucker. It is an old conversation that Disney has made some of their most popular and classic films based off of what were otherwise very dark and brooding fairy tales.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
"In the rigid, class conscious society of 19th century England, what is the biggest concern about the restoration of English magic? Is it the risk of magic falling into the wrong hands? Is it the fear of trying to control such an awesome force? No, the biggest concern is whether to sit an English magician next to a duchess or a lady at the next dinner party." -Brian Houle, about.com

I heard about this book around the same time I heard about The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher and judging from this list I think you can see which one I chose to read first. I haven't gotten through all of Butcher's books yet but I'm not the sort of person to read a series all of the way through, either. I have heard nothing but good things about Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and I think it is about time I finally put it on my list so I can at last join the masses who are talking about it, for better or worse.
I chose the above quote as the synopsis for the book because I love the way it was written. I did not want to read the rest of the review by Brian Houle for fear of spoilers but it can be found in its entirety on about.com.

[SlightlyIrregular]

Okay, so my book list:

1. The Traitor Queen by Trudi Canavan.

I have this book, and it's the only book in the seven that I haven't read. I'm re-reading the others - I'm on the fifth out of seven so far, so I can know the story again up until then. Because I read the sixth book about three years ago, and read the first trilogy back in 2007/2008. So it's been a while. Bascially, the books are about magician's, war, love, betrayal, thieves, action and adventure. It's the only fantasy series I love.

2. The last book of Pellinor, by Allison Croggan

I can't remember the last book, or the name of all of them, but if you look up the author, you'll find them. It's a fantasy series about love, war and magic once more. Again, I haven't read the fourth but I do own it so planning to read these again so I can get to the fourth and finish the series and know what happens. I haven't read these either since 2007ish.

3. Game of Thrones series.

I know they're by a different name but it's easier to type Game of Thrones :P. I've read the first one, and watched the first two series. I also own book two and three. I want to read these and catch up with the other books too.

4. Rescue Me and Blue on You by Rachel Gibson

This is a rare time when I love all of one author's books. I absolutely love her books and have all of them. She's a romance writer but I'm a sucker for some romance. She also has a new one getting published in March that I want too.

5. Malorie Blackman's Noughts and Crosses Quadrilogy

This is another example where I've read the first three and not the last. They're in the young adult category and I read them when I was 15 or 16 and loved them. It's set in a world where black people are the dominant ones and the white people are the slaves and about a black girl from a high off family falling in love with their slave's white boy. It's very well done and I'd love to get my hands on all the books so I can re-read them and then read the last one.

6. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

I love the movie. I cried at the movie. And I'd love to read the book and find out what happened from the books view. It's about the world war (not sure which one) and how the boy of a Nazi soldier makes friends with a boy in one of the concentration camps who wears striped clothing.

And that's all I can think of for now, but there are hundreds more. I have 300 unread books on my shelves and about 100+ on my wishlist/wanted list. But I've given you my top ones so far!

[VindicatedPurpose]

My reading list right now...

The first three I've started to read, the rest are to be read in the near future.

1) The Things They Carried ~ Tim O'Brien
"The things they carried were largely determined by necessity."

- Recommended to me by a friend. Tim O'Brien is a Vietnam War vet, and the book is a work of fiction that takes place during the Vietnam War. I have a certain interest in it, as it was a war that was unique in its own. Though it is a story, The Things They Carried is laced with a certain autobiographical and narrative imprint that gives it a sharp edge.

2) The Years of Rice and Salt ~ Kim Stanley Robinson
"Imagine if the Bubonic Plague had wiped out 90% of the population of Western Europe? That is the world of The Years of Rice and Salt."

- Also recommended by a friend. The book's gripping change in history creates ripples through time, and a world that seems so different from our own. My friend gave me brief glimpses into the novel, and I decided to try it myself.

3) Halo: Contact Harvest ~ Joseph Staten
"Where it all began, with a young marine named Avery Johnson."

- Since I am a fan of the Haloverse, I thought I would familiarize myself with the books. I just think that the very first game was just a revolution in storytelling and gaming within the field of science fiction.

4) A Time To Kill ~ John Grisham
"I didn't do it!"

- The story is set in the South (for those of us in the USA) and it follows a sort of To Kill A Mockingbird style story, but the focus is more on the legal battle. There was a movie made about this with an ensemble cast including Matthew McConaughey, Donald Sutherland, Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bullock, and Kevin Spacey.

5) River of Stars ~ Guy Gavriel Kay
"Historical China, but sprinkle some fantasy."

- First time I've read anything by GGK as he is known. He takes history and turns by a couple of degrees while adding fantasy to make it an almost entirely different story. The importance of setting is underestimated at times, but I hope to read a great story.

6) Fault in Our Stars ~ John Green
"Romance between oddballs"

- The things that set this book out for me was

• The Title - Which is a reference to the play Julius Caesar.
• The Protagonist - She is a cancer patient.
• Comedy - I heard it was humorous, and I like humor.

7) Cloud Atlas ~ David Mitchell
"The lives of past, present, and future intertwine."

- What can I say? The Wachowskis, masterminds behind the Matrix Trilogy, went on to produce the indie film, Cloud Atlas. I have not seen it yet, but based on the reviews, I want to see it. I read that it was an adaptation of the novel, and I decided I would give the book a try.

And that is my reading list. Who's next?

[Ylanne]

My lovely partner (MartianJusticiar on this site) has given me a few books that I need to start reading, which include,

The Android's Dream by John Scalzi. Apparently there is a diplomatic incident during interstellar negotiations and a sheep is the solution? I have only read the first few pages, so I don't really know what this is about, but my partner highly recommended it and gave me a copy for a present, so I shall read the rest presently!

A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. First book in the Game of Thrones series that spawned the popular television serial (HBO, I think), and evidently written by a sadistic asshole highly creative author who enjoys making his characters' lives suck, much like my partner and I in our roleplays together, which, come to think of it, is probably why it was given to me as a present.

Young Miles by Lois McMaster Bujold. This is kind of a prequel to the Vorkosigan saga, which is a series of science fiction novels all set in the same universe as each other. This novel is about the early life of Miles Vorkosigan, the central character (or one of them?), who is disabled. (I think he has a physical disability.) My partner recommended this book, as well as the entire series, because it doesn't fall into the usual tropes of inspiration porn, overcomers, or pity in dealing with disability. I haven't started reading this yet, but am looking forward to it.

Then, other books I'd like to get started on soon:

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (not the same David Mitchell who is a professor of disability studies). I saw the movie based off this novel, and it was stunning. So now I'd like to read the novel!

The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex by INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence. This was a gift from a friend and fellow activist, and I'm very excited to read it.

Extraordinary Bodies: Figuring Physical Disability in American Culture and Literature by Rosemarie Garland-Thomson. This was also a gift from (yet another) friend and fellow activist. Rosemarie Garland-Thomson is known as the foremost pioneer in the field of academic disability studies. This is one of her first texts.

There are several more, but these are the ones I thought of offhand!

[faheem]

The Android's Dream by John Scalzi. Apparently there is a diplomatic incident during interstellar negotiations and a sheep is the solution? I have only read the first few pages, so I don't really know what this is about, but my partner highly recommended it and gave me a copy for a present, so I shall read the rest presently!

[Solo Wing Pixy]

The Culture Series - Iain M Banks
Sci-fi, and some of the best starship names I've ever heard of. A Frank Exchange of Views, anyone?

Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
One of the classics. I started reading this a year ago and never finished.

Ulysses - James Joyce
Often considered the greatest novel of all time. I just downloaded this to my tablet and will probably start after I finish my current book, which is...

Reaper Man - Terry Pratchett
A book I've read thrice and one of my favorites. Terry Pratchett is one of my favorite authors.

The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
I've seen the 2002 a million times and it's one of my favorites. I've been meaning to read the novel for some time. I think I might go download it now...