I bought this

[skoosiepants]

I have decided that I am going to try reading actual paper books this summer! Instead of fanfiction! I don't know if it'll work, but we shall see. So, anyway, you should tell me what's good to read! I like comedy, teens, romance, time-travel, dogs, horses, sci-fi, historical fiction, etc. I don't like anything heavy or depressing. I don't mind having to think, but I'm hugely disapproving of long, boring descriptions, no matter how accurate or whatever. I'm afraid I have a low tolerance now for epithets, sloppy POVs, use of "lover" (oh god, shoot me), and, seriously, hate, hate, hate something that's overly-wordy for no purpose at all, but just because the author likes to write about flowers or bicycles or sunsets or clothes or quidditch (hi, JKR) - bleh. ANYWAY, I'm sure you all can suggest something to read that isn't going to make my eyes bleed and my brain ooze out of my ears. Summer fun!

I've got 27 pages of utter Kevin/Mike high school AU crap, but whatever, I'm still trucking. I figure I'll just write and write and write and then go back and slice it apart and put it back together into something that maybe makes sense and doesn't suck, but no promises.

Also, I'm SO TEMPTED to write iCarly het, because Sam and Freddie are so adorable together and Sam is like my favorite character on TV right now and iCarly rocks, even J likes it.

Comments

[tacittype.livejournal.com]

Have you ever read To Say Nothing of the Dog (http://www.amazon.com/Say-Nothing-Dog-Connie-Willis/dp/0613152425/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244656048&sr=8-1) by Connie Willis? Because a) it is awesome, and b) comedy, teens, romance, time-travel, dogs, horses, sci-fi, historical fiction. It's just missing teenaged horses.

ETA to try harder to make the bold bits bold. HTML, why hast thou forsaken me?

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

oooooo, that looks awesome, thank you!

[frogy.livejournal.com]

For teen romance, you're not going to get any better than David Levithan's Boy Meets Boy (http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Meets-David-Levithan/dp/0375832998). Also, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist ().

[aurora]

Oh hey, I didn't know Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist was a book! Cool.

[royalneptune.livejournal.com]

Have you read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (http://www.amazon.com/Jonathan-Strange-Mr-Norrell-Novel/dp/0765356155/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244656653&sr=8-1) by Susannah Clarke? It's wordy, and hefty, but brilliant. As if someone smushed Jane Austen and the world of Harry Potter together. And her collection of short stories (The Ladies of Grace Adieu (http://www.amazon.com/Ladies-Grace-Adieu-Other-Stories/dp/1596913835/ref=pd_sim_b_1)) is genius and, I found, a lot easier to read then Jonathan Strange.

Also, I'm obsessed with Generation Kill, which not only is a great book, but also an HBO mini series with a lot of hot (http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y110/mckaygirl/genkill/Untitled-34.png) guys (http://pics.livejournal.com/the_grynne/pic/0060zs64) in uniform (http://pics.livejournal.com/the_grynne/pic/0062qq3h). Winkwinknudgenudge. (http://www.amazon.com/Generation-Kill-Evan-Wright/dp/B001IDZJG8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244656803&sr=1-1) ()

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

Wooo, I haven't read any of these, thanks!

[bunniewabbit.livejournal.com]

For just a really fun, engrossing read, I'd recommend the entire Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. Man, they're enjoyable, and they never fail to make me grin and even laugh, though they can also be sort of intense. If you give them a shot, make sure you read them in order, though -- in the early books, the stories are mostly self-contained, but an overall story arc starts to become apparent by about the third book.

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

awesome! I haven't read those before, ty!

[bergann.livejournal.com]

My standard recommendations: The Gentlemen Bastards sequence by Scott Lynch (currently only two books out - The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies), The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Any and all books by John Scalzi (though the one I recommend the most is The Android's Dream).

The Gentleman Bastards sequence are my favourites - it's like Ocean's 11 only better and more realistic and funny.

I also recommend Making History by Stephen Fry. Superpowers by David J. Schwartz. I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak.

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

yay, thank you! all of these are new to me :)

[unrequited-rain.livejournal.com]

my favorite book to rec is John Scalzi (http://whatever.scalzi.com/)'s The Android's Dream (http://www.amazon.com/Androids-Dream-John-Scalzi/dp/0765309416) it's sci fi, and kind of action adventure-y, and completely awesome.

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

cool, thank you!

[fayemeadows.livejournal.com]

Anything by Jhumpa Lahiri - she's brilliant. Also you might like "Hairstyle of the Damned" by Joe Meno - really funny.

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

yay! new stuff, thanks!

[insipid-paragon.livejournal.com]

Someone already mentioned Connie Willis, and I agree with that suggestion wholeheartedly because she is the shit. My favorite of hers is Bellwether (http://www.librarything.com/work/26223). Awesome female scientist main character! She studies fads! She partners up with a chaos theorist! AWESOMENESS AND HILARITY HAPPENS. Just talking about it makes me want to reread it for the 50th time.

Oh, and of course there's the Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series. She's a literary detective! With a pet dodo! She jumps in and out of books and fixes things and fights crime and shit and is generally also awesome!

YAY, READING IS FUN!

[attentie.livejournal.com]

female main characters! There are not enough books with strong female leads ♥

I, like skoosiepants, was also planning on reading more ACTUAL BOOKS this summer, so thank you for these reccommendations :) Did you read the stephanie plum books by janet evanovich?

[slythhearted.livejournal.com]

Seconding the recommendation for Generation Kill. My favourite series at the moment is the 'Cal Leandros' series by Rob Thurman. The first book is Nightlife. here's the link to my lj post about it: http://slythhearted.livejournal.com/115396.html I gave up on the Karen Chance series but Nightlife was excellent as are the subsequent books in the series.


The other series to check out is Tanya Huff's Smoke series http://slythhearted.livejournal.com/91289.html I could probably recite whole sections to you, I've read them that many times.

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

excellent, thank you, hon!

[attentie.livejournal.com]

Fanfiction has gotten in the way of my bookreading too... But! It seems like we have similar taste in books so maybe we can exchange favourites?

My favourite books:

Janet Evanovich - The stefanie plum series (start with ' one for the money' )

about: ahahaha! I love this so much, it's one of the funniest things I've read in a while. It's about a young woman with money problems. When she loses her job, she decides to go work for her sleazy cousin Vinnie as a bounty hunter. A BAD one.
(I am really bad at descriptions, but it's really good. It was recommended to me on a plane to america. I live in Europe, but I was going on a holiday. I was sitting next to a woman who kept laughing so I asked wich book it was. People who can't stop laughing: no better book review)


Christopher Moore: The stupidest angel


Also very funny! It is about an angel that comes to earth on christmas to fulfill the wish of a child. This somehow turns into him raising the death from their graves who turn into zombies. The zombies then crash a christmas party.


Christopher Moore: a dirty job

You know that movie in which an ordinairy man has to take over the job of santa clause? (I don't know the name of the movie, I have watched way too many christmas movies) In this book a regular guy gets the job of Death.


Will Clarke: Lord Vishnu's love handles

A psychic alcoholic with money problems goes to work for the CIA. Also funny! I think you can see the pattern in my taste for books...


David wong- John dies at the end

Urgh I am too tired to think of a synonym, so whatever, screw the repetition: this is also freakin' FUNNY. It's also awesome and possibly still available to read on the internet. I just lend it out, so I am not sure of the link..
I am not even trying to summarise this myself, especially since there is an awesome summary of this already in existence:

It’s a drug that promises an out-of-body experience with each hit. On the street they call it Soy Sauce, and users can drift across time and dimensions. But some who come back are no longer human.

Suddenly a silent, otherworldly invasion is underway, and mankind needs a hero. What it gets instead is John and David, a pair of college dropouts who can barely hold down jobs.

Can these two stop the oncoming horror in time to save humanity?

No. No, they can’t.


Matt Ruff: Bad Monkeys

what about:
A woman is in the psychiatric wing of a jail because she killed someone. She says she is a member of a secret organisation devoted to fighting evil, part of a department called ' bad monkeys '. The book is kind of her narration of the happenings to the psychiatrist. The reader has to figure out along with the psych if she is crazy, lying, or...
I love the writing style: it's fast and entertaining. The story is captivating and you keep wondering what's true and what's not.


Joe hill - Heartshaped box

Look for the mcr reference in this one! They mentioned it in an interview. This is, for a change, not a funny book. It's kind of creepy and mysterious. It's about a famous aging rock star who collects freaky things. When he hears someone is selling a ghost on the internet, of course he wants to buy it! But when the ghost arrives in a heart shaped box, things go horribly wrong..
I really like this one! It has a lot of twists and the writing style is entertaining. It´s actually one of the few ´scary´ books I´ve ever read and it makes me want to read some more.

OMG, how did this get so long?

[attentie.livejournal.com]

joseph Finder: Killer Instinct

back cover description (because it practically says it all):
Jason Steadman is a thirty-year-old sales executive living in Boston and working for an electronics giant, a competitor to Sony and Panasonic. He's a witty, charismatic guy who's well liked, but lacks the "killer instinct" necessary to move up the corporate ladder. To the chagrin of his ambitious wife, it looks as if his career has hit a ceiling. Jason's been sidelined.

All that will change one evening when Jason meets Kurt Semko, a former Special Forces officer just back from Iraq. Looking for a decent pitcher for the company softball team, Jason gets Kurt, who was once drafted by the majors, a job in Corporate Security. Soon, good things start to happen for Jason - and bad things start to happen to Jason's rivals. His career suddenly takes off. He's an overnight success.

Too late does Jason discover that his friend Kurt has been paving his path to the top by the most efficient means available. After all, Kurt says, "Business is war, right?"

When Jason tries to put a stop to it, he finds that his new best friend has become the most dangerous enemy imaginable - and far more than his career hangs in the balance.

This one has been a while since I read it, but I remember really connecting with the main character. You really empathise with Jason, and I like that.

James Grady - Mad dogs

back cover summary: (yes, i am getting lazy)Five deranged CIA killers, all of them dependent on their meds, and deep in the woods of maine, are forced to escape when someone murders their psychiatrist. They operate under somewhat skewed perceptions of the real world. Their training, however, has prepared them to survive in an unfriendly world - even if that world is the boston to washington corridor as they chase down the real killer.

I love books with a psychological factor. The writing style is.. a bit different from what I am used to. It takes me a bit more effort to get into the story because of it, but I really like how the story and the characters develop.

You probably already read this one, but:


Neil strauss - The game

It's about the world of pick-up artists. You probably know about it from the tv series, because gerard way blogged about it on mcr.com :)
I've lent this book out to my brother, and he LOVES it. It's really funny and consists (mostly) out of actual events.

[attentie.livejournal.com]

I am so sorry...

[kws136.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you like murder/mysteries, but if so you should definitely check out Naked In Death, the first of a (long) series written by JD Robb. She's a pseudonym for Nora Roberts who writes ... we'll call them "bodice rippers," and while there is a bit of bodice ripping in the ...In Death series, it's not all "Reginald's quivering member" rubbish. Also, it's murder mysteries set in the future so you really can't lose. I enjoy these when I'm looking for brain candy.

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

I used to overload on Nora Roberts! I knew she wrote as JD Robb, but I've never read any of those, I'll have to give them a try - thanks!

[jade8624.livejournal.com]

for a good laugh i read christpoher moore. i'm re-reading lamb again and i'm still laughing. Havemercy is also good, fantasy with changing pov, with comedy thrown in although sad in the end (as in i bawled) so i dunno if you'd like that.
but if yu like a good laugh lamb is my rec to you :D
iCarly is actually quite amusing to me. though i only catch it by chance except that one time when david archuleta was on
keep on truckin' with your writing...i don't think anyone will complain :3

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

no crying!!!! I can't have a sad book, but I'll try the other one, thanks!!

J and I watched 4 eps in a row on Saturday, I was amazed he was entertained enough that he wanted to watch them with me, but we were both laughing the whole time, it's such a fun show :)

[twilight-la-fae.livejournal.com]

I've been doing a ton of reading lately, the good stuff including a series of books by Patricia Briggs, the first being called Moon Called, about a young mechanic named Mercy who's a skinwalker. There are four books so far in that series and they're fantastic.

The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop are good as well, as the Night Angel Trilogy from Brent Weeks. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. For kicks and giggles, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is exactly what you think it is- the classic literature only with a plague of zombies.

The Castings Trilogy by Pamela Freeman is good as well. Of course, any thing by Neil Gaiman is great- Good Omens is always a laugh, as well as anything from Meg Cabot.

Most of it's fantasy/sci fi, but good quality. :D I'm mailing your baked goods tomorrow, kay?

Kisskiss <3

[attentie.livejournal.com]

I second Neil Gaiman and Meg Cabot!

[crypticdreams.livejournal.com]

I really enjoy John Green's books, and Megan McCafferty's 5-part Jessica Darling series (some would say that the only ones worth reading are the first two: Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings).

Also, YAY FOR iCarly, I love that show!

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

I've read Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings, but I didn't even realize she wrote more in that series!

iCarly is AWESOME!

[1001cranes.livejournal.com]

ZOMG iCarly FIC PLEASE.

My little brother loves that show, and admittedly, I do too, but there is NO good fic. it's a wasteland. ;__;

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

I really want to write a future fic or something, I don't know, I need to get their voices down, but Sam and her love of disgusting food always makes me happy! I've found a few sam/freddie (http://delicious.com/houseofpants/icarly) ones that I really kind of enjoyed. Nothing outrageously fantastic, but there's promise!

[http://users.livejournal.com/_slashygoodness/]

My rec of ALL THINGS NEIL GAIMAN EVER (comics count as books for you, right?) has already been made so I'll refrain. Ummm, I honestly can't recommend much. I've been all about the artsy movies and comics and illustration lately. Errrr, Wicked and Son Of A Witch? I liked those but I don't think they quite fit for you. Neither would Whitechapel Gods (which I am going to try reading again soon). His Dark Materials trilogy (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass) sort of fit but I'm reading them again now and they aren't nearly as good as I remembered. ... I got comic and art book recs? :)

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

I'll take comic recs!!

[insunshine.livejournal.com]

I can help with the Kevin/Mike high school au stuff, miss! &hearts

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

you know I will need you *clings*

[serafina-zane.livejournal.com]

Oooohhhh, I love actual paper books! I also love recommending books!
Off the top of my head...
---Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott: teens, bad mall jobs, lives that suck, and a lot of unintended makeouts. (Also by Elizabeth Scott, Stealing Heaven is pretty awesome)
---Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist: (I second) punk bands and all nighters and awesome.
---the Morganville Vampires series (starting with Glass Houses) by Rachel Caine: vampire menace, college, hilarious dialouge, fun characters, really short with crazy action, six books so far, totally fun summer type thing.

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

these sound perfect!! thank you!

[darksylvia.livejournal.com]

You should read all Diana Wynne Jones books immediately. Start with her older stuff and work forward--the older stuff is more awesome, but not by much.

Everything by Robin McKinley...

Oh, hell. Here: http://darksylvia.livejournal.com/196124.html

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

oooooo, excellent, thank you!

[harpye.livejournal.com]

Might I suggest Janet Evanovitch's Stephanie Plum series? Hilarious! Stephanie Plum turns to bounty hunting after she loses her job. She's completely horrible at it, but still manages to get the man in the end. It's set in New Jersey, and features Lula an ex-prostitute-turned-assistant-bounty-hunter. Joe Morelli, undercover cop and a flame from Stephanie's past; and Ranger, an ex-military, exotic freelance bounty hunter. Really, you should try it.

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

I love those books!!! I'm waiting for my mom to buy the newest one because I know she'll let me read it first :)

[liebe-neu.livejournal.com]

OMFG! iCarly is so adorable and funny. I really lol often, and Sam and Freddy have such obvious sexual tension.
As for books, I reccommend 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins, it's def. my favorite book and it's the first in a trilogy. Second book is coming out in Sept and I can't wait.
It's action mostly, and the main character is a BEAST and she's awesome. There's also some unrequited-not real-for the press-really IS real-love and it. Is amazing.

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

omg, the ep where Sam and Freddie kiss, I almost died, it was so awesome!!

yay, new book! sounds fantastic, thank you!

[shaggirl.livejournal.com]

As Meat Loves Salt (http://www.amazon.com/Meat-Loves-Salt-Harvest-Original/dp/015601226X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244682614&sr=8-1)

Slashy historical drama. It was recced by several people on my flist a few years ago. I passed it around my friends & family and we all loved it.

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

dude, awesome, thank you!!

[libgirl.livejournal.com]

Hmm. For a fast afternoon read, and it's a fabulous book, I recommend Boy Meets Boy by David Leviathan. I really like everything he's done. :D

I'll think of others, but that's my standby rec.

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

yay, thank you!

[yetunknown.livejournal.com]

hey, that's what I'm trying to do, too. except people revealing their Big Bang made my defenses crumble.

but the one book I read recently that I really liked was The Graveyard Boy by Neil Gaiman. then again, you can hardly go wrong with Gaiman.

[skoosiepants.livejournal.com]

excellent!! I'm distracted by all the bigbangs, too :)