The final book in the My Teacher is an Alien series, it follows a group of 6th graders who are tasked to explore the best and worst of humanity in order to help defend our right to exist to an intergalactic council of aliens that fears us. It deals with some pretty heavy fucking themes that have stuck with me since I first read it at the age of 10.
"Forty thousand," said Duncan. His eyes were closed, as if he were reading from a page inside his head.
"What?" asked Susan.
"Forty thousand," he repeated. "That's how many kids die every day from things that could be changed if we, all of us, the people of Earth, decided they should be."
I took in a sharp breath; forty thousand people was more than twice the population of Kennituck Falls.
"Forty thousand a day," continued Duncan relentlessly. "That's a quarter of a million a week. Over a million a month. Nearly fifteen million a year. They die from not having vaccines that cost less than a dollar apiece. They die from dirty wells and lack of food. They die from the fact that people don't care, at least, not enough to change it."
Duncan sat frozen, as if in a trance. Tears leaked from beneath his lowered eyelids, cutting paths through the dust of the camp that still covered his cheeks. His voice was like the voice of God, listing our sins.
"Last year, fourteen million children died because we earthlings decided to spend our money elsewhere. It happened the year before, too. And we're going to let it happen again this year."
Suddenly he opened his eyes and looked right at me. "Peter, I learned a lot in the last few weeks. I read more than you can imagine.I have millions of facts in my head that I'm trying to put together. I don't know what it all means, but I know the numbers. I know one day's worth of the money our world spends on guns and bombs and soldiers could save fifty million children over the next ten years."
As Duncan spoke I had a vision, a fantasy, that the people of Earth - not the leaders, not the governments, just the people - were suddenly able to speak with one voice. And they said, "Enough. We don't want it to be this way anymore. Make it right!"
But we couldn't speak with one voice. For some reason we were no better than mute in the face of a disaster we all wanted to pretend wasn't happening.
I was sick with shame and anger. And I knew that I would never be the same after that night.
I had been witness to a crime.
Now I would have to testify to what I had seen. Because to keep silent would also be a crime.
Loved Cryptonomicon. Have you read his Baroque Cycle? It deals with some similar themes and ancestors of the same families around the turning of the 18th century.
Really good sci-fi, and written by a former military officer who saw the hippy movement coming, with a "Mary Sue" stand in whose entire point is how an older person doesn't have to understand progress, just simply let it happen instead of enforcing their own norms/morals on future generations.
The only depressing part is we're still fighting for the same changes 60 years after the book was written. But the good news is it means the book is still relevant I guess.
The terminal man by Michael chrichton: a paranoid man has electrodes implanted in his head to stop violent fugue states he enters, but he learns to control the electrodes, and accidentally sets off significantly more intense violent outbursts
Annihilation by Jeff vandermeer: the first part of the southern reach trilogy, an expedition of scientists are sent into a possibly alien anomaly to find out what it is and how to stop it from growing and consuming the land. The environment inside is confusing and seems to infect anyone inside it in some way.
Wizard and Glass by Stephen King: the fourth book in the dark tower series, it's a flashback to the main characters adolescence, his first mission as an ambassador and spy for his kingdom to find out how a small town may be secretly participating in a civil war, and how a witch may be controlling the enhabitants.
The Stranger by Albert Camus: a man with no motivation or real concern finds himself the focus of a murder trial, and without any interest in defending himself, can't see how nobody is on his side.
Red Sister by Mark Lawrence. A series described inaccurately, but amusingly, as about "lesbian murder nuns".
"It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size. For Sister Thorn of the Sweet Mercy Convent Lano Tacsis brought two hundred men."
"No child truly believes they will be hanged. Even on the gallows platform with the rope scratching at their wrists and the shadow of the noose upon their face they know that someone will step forward, a mother, a father returned from some long absence, a king dispensing justice … someone. Few children have lived long enough to understand the world into which they were born. Perhaps few adults have either, but they at least have learned some bitter lessons."
Jim Dale was the original. He's even in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest number of individually voiced characters in a single recording (Goblet of Fire). I am not sure why it was re-recorded with Stephen Fry. I love Fry but Dale's version is, IMHO, far superior.
For a long time I’d say The Great Gatsby and it’s probably still at or near the top. I really enjoyed the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian as a more entertainment-oriented read.
Yes! It's by the lead singer of the band The Mountain Goats and it's one hell of a story. He has written two other excellent books too. I think he's a true genius.
I must admit that Dune was the one that came to my mind first. It's just... so well thought out. Everything has a meaning there, the whole universe is well laid out with plenty of lore sprinkled here and there, characters are believable, etc. I have read a couple of following books and although they were good too, they simply can't compare to the original one.
Catch 22 is another wonderful book. I highly recommend that one to everyone who likes absurd humor. If you like shows like Monty Python and Catch 22 somehow missed you, you just have to read it.
And finally Ender's game. It's been decades since I read it, but it's still stuck somewhere inside. I think I finished everything Card wrote in that universe at one point, which means something, combined with my slow reading pace (like 10 books a year at max).
I'd also throw in some classics like Tolkien books, something from A.C.Clarke (at least Space odyssey or Rama if nothing else), The Witcher from A.Sapkowski (I recommend to start with his short stories before embracing whole pentalogy) and Riftwar saga by R.E.Feist.
For lovers of quite easy to read military sci-fi I can recommend books by Jerry Pournelle. And for other sci-fi fans sadly unfinished series The War Against the Chtorr by D.Gerrold. And The Stand by S.King. And plenty of others too.
It's by John Darnielle who is the lead singer of the Mountain Goats, who I think is a bona fide genius, and it's a horror story told in the style of metafiction. A bit difficult to describe, but actually all three of his novels are excellent. It has quite a twist to the story, it's about a true crime writer investigating a double homicide during the Satanic panic and his moral crisis.
I tried to write a plot summary and couldn't do it justice. So instead I'll talk about themes:
individuality vs. subsumption
theology
the nature of love and sexual attraction
art restoration
making a wrong choice intentionally just to prove you're capable of making choices
It's very funny, and has a sassy robot, which we all love.
My favorite quote:
A man is an angel that has become deranged, Joe Fernwright thought. Once they – all of them – had been genuine angels, and at that time they had had a choice between good and evil, so it was easy, easy being an angel. And then something happened. Something went wrong or broke down or failed. And they had become faced with the necessity of choosing not good or evil but the lesser of two evils, and so that had unhinged them and now each was a man.
Very cool excerpt. Made me think of the witcher quote about lesser evil:
Evil is Evil. Lesser, greater, middling… Makes no difference. The degree is arbitary. The definition’s blurred. If I’m to choose between one evil and another… I’d rather not choose at all.
Being a writer myself, I always loved the premise of Myst where you could write a world and actually visit it. This book goes into detail about the D'ni at the height of their civilization and how the books work and stuff. It's awesome.
I've read it to each of my kids at least once (I have quite a few children). I'm at the point where I do different voices for each character and so on.
It is such a beautifully told story and really has a very special place in my heart. I still struggle to not get upset at the sad bit each time.
It has just about everything. There is action, romance, drama, humor, and tragedy. A whole cast of characters undergo personal growth. Relationships develop and change. Large-scale high stakes issues are covered along with a lot of smaller individual stories. Every character has a different voice and the dialog sparkles.
It works quite well as a standalone. It was a prequel to the main Vorkosigan series, which is centered around the son of the main characters in Barrayar. The rest of the series is also well worth reading.
I mostly read series, and my favorite is Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson. The Silo series by Hugh Howey a close second.
I'm not really someone who reads many standalone books, because I love getting lost in epic/long stories (for this same reason I barely ever watch movies and stick with series in stead), and I hate how by the time I'm really getting into a book, suddenly it's over.. But hmm, for a standalone book I'd have to go with The Book Thief by Zusak (which btw, never seen the movie, maybe I should sometimes).
Empire of Normality, Neurodiversity and capitalism by Robert Chapman
It's about the normalization of the human centered on eugenic and how it serves the capitalism to the detrimental of the neurodiversity and the neurodivergents.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.
I was going to complain about having to only choose one book before realizing that it pretty much always came back to that. The honorable mentions are all stuff that comes with a message like The Giver or The Samurai's Garden, which I do recommend. But I'm a sucker for a good mystery and TMORA was a good exercise in thinking outside of the box.
For me it has to be Berserk. Not an actual book, I know, but it has the best story I've ever consumed, it being books, movies, games, you name it. Berserk takes the crown
People who only list classics are super sus. Makes me think they don't actually read and they're only saying those books because they were forced to read them in high school while the teacher spoonfed interpretations and analysis.
Honestly, I think it's an impossible question. Like, how do you pick a favorite book that isn't an absolute arbitrary answer to begin with? I don't even think I could narrow it down if you asked by author. Like, which Piers Anthony book is my favorite? Damned if I know.
That's why people go for classics. Because it isn't answerable.
I could go on for a while, I suppose. Every one of them has brought me joy reading. The discworld series are being reread at the moment and at every stage of my life the address me in a different way. The Little Prince is the one I would buy for everyone I know. In French because that works best.
Am I allowed to have a few? Because I can’t pick just one haha: Priory of the Orange Tree, Jane Eyre, Lord of the Rings series, A Song of Ice and Fire series (yes, even after the season that will not be named), Fingersmith, Rebecca, Redwall series. There’s more, but I feel like this is too many already 😅
I have Devil House in my to read pile! I’m going to put it at the top of the stack now
I had the priory of the orange tree for years but never read it as I wasn't sure if it'd be my thing as I bought it on a whim. When I did eventually read it last year, it turned out to have everything I like in a book. Different mythology influences, lgbtq characters written well and characters I gave a shit about.
Favorite Holy Book: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Favorite Non-Fiction Book: Humankind by Rutger Bregman
Favorite Print and Audiobook Series: The Aubrey-Maturin Saga by Patrick O'Brien, narrated by Patrick Tull
Favorite Terry Pratchett Book: Going Postal
Going postal is peak Moist.
I've followed Bregman from the start when he started writing for the Dutch news site De Correspondent. I love the positive vibe he sends.
And yes, Douglas Adams humor is snappy as ever in the Hitchhiker's guide. ❤️
Rarely read book, but Ender's Game is probably my favorite
The Count Of Monte Cristo
Seconded. Have read it 4 times now.
My Teacher Flunked the Planet, by Bruce Coville.
The final book in the My Teacher is an Alien series, it follows a group of 6th graders who are tasked to explore the best and worst of humanity in order to help defend our right to exist to an intergalactic council of aliens that fears us. It deals with some pretty heavy fucking themes that have stuck with me since I first read it at the age of 10.
Ok that sounds great.
Interesting. I read these as a kid and remember nothing but them being ripping good yarns.
Neil Stephenson - Cryptonomicon
Terry Pratchett - The Night Watch
Randal L. Schwartz - Learning Perl
Loved Cryptonomicon. Have you read his Baroque Cycle? It deals with some similar themes and ancestors of the same families around the turning of the 18th century.
I tried, but I couldn't quite get into it. I'll give it another go once I finish Seveneves.
I also love the tech noir vibes from Snow Crash, by the way.
And Rise And Fall of the D.O.D.O. was hilarious
Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein.
Really good sci-fi, and written by a former military officer who saw the hippy movement coming, with a "Mary Sue" stand in whose entire point is how an older person doesn't have to understand progress, just simply let it happen instead of enforcing their own norms/morals on future generations.
The only depressing part is we're still fighting for the same changes 60 years after the book was written. But the good news is it means the book is still relevant I guess.
I loved that book. I bought a paperback copy. The end was a bit off for me when he was chillin with JC though lol
Really, not possible to have a single favorite. Maybe favorites by genre?
Fiction: Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow_of_the_Wind
Science Fiction: Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper (bonus! public domain!)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Fuzzy
Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18137
Fantasy: Lord of the Rings
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings
Horror:
Books of Blood by Clive Barker
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Books_of_Blood
Of particular note are the stories "The Yattering and Jack" and "The Body Politic".
Western:
The Dark Tower series by Stephen King
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Tower_(series)
Romance:
Griffin and Sabine series by Nick Bantock
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griffin_and_Sabine
Also - Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outlander_(book_series)
Travel:
Into the Heart of Borneo by Redmond O'Hanlon
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/123474/into-the-heart-of-borneo-by-redmond-ohanlon/
Also - In Trouble Again by Redmond O'Hanlon
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/123475/in-trouble-again-by-redmond-ohanlon/
Religion:
Rescuing the Bible From Fundamentalism by Archbishop John Shelby Spong
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/rescuing-the-bible-from-fundamentalism-john-shelby-spongjohn-shelby-spong?variant=41174963781666
Also - Liberating the Gospels: Reading the Bible with Jewish Eyes by Archbishop John Shelby Spong
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/liberating-the-gospels-john-shelby-spong?variant=41245649600546
Mythology:
Tales series by Chronicle Books:
https://www.chroniclebooks.com/collections/tales
If you like Books of Blood, may I recommend North American Lake Monsters by Nathan Ballingrud? Utterly terrifying stories.
I'll check that out!
Hard one. I'll list a few I suppose
The terminal man by Michael chrichton: a paranoid man has electrodes implanted in his head to stop violent fugue states he enters, but he learns to control the electrodes, and accidentally sets off significantly more intense violent outbursts
Annihilation by Jeff vandermeer: the first part of the southern reach trilogy, an expedition of scientists are sent into a possibly alien anomaly to find out what it is and how to stop it from growing and consuming the land. The environment inside is confusing and seems to infect anyone inside it in some way.
Wizard and Glass by Stephen King: the fourth book in the dark tower series, it's a flashback to the main characters adolescence, his first mission as an ambassador and spy for his kingdom to find out how a small town may be secretly participating in a civil war, and how a witch may be controlling the enhabitants.
The Stranger by Albert Camus: a man with no motivation or real concern finds himself the focus of a murder trial, and without any interest in defending himself, can't see how nobody is on his side.
Dark Tower IV is such an amazing read. When I finished the series I wanted to read IV again.
I'm not familiar with the others. I'll have to check those out. Thankee-sai.
Great list!
Red Sister by Mark Lawrence. A series described inaccurately, but amusingly, as about "lesbian murder nuns".
"It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size. For Sister Thorn of the Sweet Mercy Convent Lano Tacsis brought two hundred men."
"No child truly believes they will be hanged. Even on the gallows platform with the rope scratching at their wrists and the shadow of the noose upon their face they know that someone will step forward, a mother, a father returned from some long absence, a king dispensing justice … someone. Few children have lived long enough to understand the world into which they were born. Perhaps few adults have either, but they at least have learned some bitter lessons."
Lesbian murder nuns loooool
Hyperion Cantos. Excellent story and interesting characters.
Book: Dune
Audiobook: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (narrated by Jim Dale).
I thought it was Stephen Fry that narrated All of them!
Jim Dale was the original. He's even in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest number of individually voiced characters in a single recording (Goblet of Fire). I am not sure why it was re-recorded with Stephen Fry. I love Fry but Dale's version is, IMHO, far superior.
For a long time I’d say The Great Gatsby and it’s probably still at or near the top. I really enjoyed the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian as a more entertainment-oriented read.
The Phantom Tollbooth
I don't know if it's my favorite, but the one I suggest to people the most is "House of Leaves" by Mark Z. Danielewski
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? -Bill Martin/Eric Carle (I’ve read this book HUNDREDS of times, so it has a special place in my
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck - Mark Manson
Asimov's Foundation. That got me back into reading after around twenty years. Now I read one book a month, mostly sci fi, for nine years now.
Thank you Isaac Asimov, I could not imagine a life without reading anymore.
The Little Prince by Antoine St Exupery and Imagica by Clive Barker
This book is easily the best story about the paradigms of life and loss. Exceptional book. I recommend it to people who have lost someone.
Collin's Field Guide to Spiders of Britain & Nothern Europe.
Ok that's a wonderful title.
Catch-22, followed closely by enders game and dune. What's devil house about? A horror book?
Yes! It's by the lead singer of the band The Mountain Goats and it's one hell of a story. He has written two other excellent books too. I think he's a true genius.
Haha didn’t realise that (The Mountain Goats singer part). Thanks for mentioning!
What the...?! It's basically what I would pick.
I must admit that Dune was the one that came to my mind first. It's just... so well thought out. Everything has a meaning there, the whole universe is well laid out with plenty of lore sprinkled here and there, characters are believable, etc. I have read a couple of following books and although they were good too, they simply can't compare to the original one.
Catch 22 is another wonderful book. I highly recommend that one to everyone who likes absurd humor. If you like shows like Monty Python and Catch 22 somehow missed you, you just have to read it.
And finally Ender's game. It's been decades since I read it, but it's still stuck somewhere inside. I think I finished everything Card wrote in that universe at one point, which means something, combined with my slow reading pace (like 10 books a year at max).
I'd also throw in some classics like Tolkien books, something from A.C.Clarke (at least Space odyssey or Rama if nothing else), The Witcher from A.Sapkowski (I recommend to start with his short stories before embracing whole pentalogy) and Riftwar saga by R.E.Feist.
For lovers of quite easy to read military sci-fi I can recommend books by Jerry Pournelle. And for other sci-fi fans sadly unfinished series The War Against the Chtorr by D.Gerrold. And The Stand by S.King. And plenty of others too.
I love the Ender's Game series, but these days I admit I sadly find it difficult to separate the art from the artist.
Gideon the Ninth and the rest of the Locked Tomb series.
Lesbian necromancers IN SPAAAACE! But it's not pulp, it's an interesting look at sci-fi and magic.
Nona is my personal favorite so far but all of them are so good. Definitely one of my favorite series and I will be sad to see it end after alecto.
The Secret History, Donna Tartt.
But why do you like Devil House? I’m not familiar with it (& I’m probably not gonna look up a review over listening to your brief opinion here 🤷♂️)
Also The Secret History is fantastic!
It's by John Darnielle who is the lead singer of the Mountain Goats, who I think is a bona fide genius, and it's a horror story told in the style of metafiction. A bit difficult to describe, but actually all three of his novels are excellent. It has quite a twist to the story, it's about a true crime writer investigating a double homicide during the Satanic panic and his moral crisis.
Neat! Weird! I love the MG too. - Maybe I will check it out, thanks !
Galactic Pot-Healer by Philip K. Dick.
I tried to write a plot summary and couldn't do it justice. So instead I'll talk about themes:
individuality vs. subsumption
theology
the nature of love and sexual attraction
art restoration
making a wrong choice intentionally just to prove you're capable of making choices
It's very funny, and has a sassy robot, which we all love.
My favorite quote:
What a great quote. I checked it out of the ebook library.
Very cool excerpt. Made me think of the witcher quote about lesser evil:
Myst: The Book of Ti'Ana by Rand Miller
Being a writer myself, I always loved the premise of Myst where you could write a world and actually visit it. This book goes into detail about the D'ni at the height of their civilization and how the books work and stuff. It's awesome.
Charlotte's Web.
I've read it to each of my kids at least once (I have quite a few children). I'm at the point where I do different voices for each character and so on.
It is such a beautifully told story and really has a very special place in my heart. I still struggle to not get upset at the sad bit each time.
The Hunt For Red October
Snow Crash - Niel Stephenson
Choke - Chuck Palahnuik
Timeline - Michael Chricton
It's hard to pick which one I like the best.
Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold.
It has just about everything. There is action, romance, drama, humor, and tragedy. A whole cast of characters undergo personal growth. Relationships develop and change. Large-scale high stakes issues are covered along with a lot of smaller individual stories. Every character has a different voice and the dialog sparkles.
Looks like Barrayar is book 3 of 20. Does it hold up as a stand alone or do you need the first two and the next 17 to appreciate it?
It works quite well as a standalone. It was a prequel to the main Vorkosigan series, which is centered around the son of the main characters in Barrayar. The rest of the series is also well worth reading.
I mostly read series, and my favorite is Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson. The Silo series by Hugh Howey a close second.
I'm not really someone who reads many standalone books, because I love getting lost in epic/long stories (for this same reason I barely ever watch movies and stick with series in stead), and I hate how by the time I'm really getting into a book, suddenly it's over.. But hmm, for a standalone book I'd have to go with The Book Thief by Zusak (which btw, never seen the movie, maybe I should sometimes).
Empire of Normality, Neurodiversity and capitalism by Robert Chapman
It's about the normalization of the human centered on eugenic and how it serves the capitalism to the detrimental of the neurodiversity and the neurodivergents.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I was going to complain about having to only choose one book before realizing that it pretty much always came back to that. The honorable mentions are all stuff that comes with a message like The Giver or The Samurai's Garden, which I do recommend. But I'm a sucker for a good mystery and TMORA was a good exercise in thinking outside of the box.
Please feel free to list any book you think worth listing! No limits on how many.
For me it has to be Berserk. Not an actual book, I know, but it has the best story I've ever consumed, it being books, movies, games, you name it. Berserk takes the crown
That's good by me. A story is a story.
I dislike classical literature and these threads are usually littered with pretentious answers 😂
Give me a trashy thriller any day. The Breach by Patrick Lee is one of the best sci-fi thrillers I've ever read
People who only list classics are super sus. Makes me think they don't actually read and they're only saying those books because they were forced to read them in high school while the teacher spoonfed interpretations and analysis.
Honestly, I think it's an impossible question. Like, how do you pick a favorite book that isn't an absolute arbitrary answer to begin with? I don't even think I could narrow it down if you asked by author. Like, which Piers Anthony book is my favorite? Damned if I know.
That's why people go for classics. Because it isn't answerable.
You would like Devil House. Not really trashy per se but a hell of a good story!
I'm sold!
How can one choose? It is so much connected to my mindset at the time of reading.
Then give me a few that come to mind at the moment. :)
I could go on for a while, I suppose. Every one of them has brought me joy reading. The discworld series are being reread at the moment and at every stage of my life the address me in a different way. The Little Prince is the one I would buy for everyone I know. In French because that works best.
My two favorites from the last few months have been The Way of the Strangers by Graeme Wood and The Immortality Key by Brian Muraresku.
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
My favourite book is hands down the scorpio races by maggie stiefvater. I've read that book so many times I've lost count now
Great title!
Lord Valentine’s Castle by Robert Silverberg
I'm probably just a basic bitch but I reread Frankenstein as an adult and it hits.
It very much does! Good choice.
Am I allowed to have a few? Because I can’t pick just one haha: Priory of the Orange Tree, Jane Eyre, Lord of the Rings series, A Song of Ice and Fire series (yes, even after the season that will not be named), Fingersmith, Rebecca, Redwall series. There’s more, but I feel like this is too many already 😅
I have Devil House in my to read pile! I’m going to put it at the top of the stack now
I had the priory of the orange tree for years but never read it as I wasn't sure if it'd be my thing as I bought it on a whim. When I did eventually read it last year, it turned out to have everything I like in a book. Different mythology influences, lgbtq characters written well and characters I gave a shit about.
The more the merrier! Love book recommendations, thank you!