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Hey guys~
lately i've been shifting from computer stuff towards basketball, exercise, studying languages and reading. (mainly for the sake of my body.. i've been feeling really tired on the computer and i don't know why)
anyway, i've started picking up the urge to read, hehe.
i was wondering if someone could recommend me some books that were similar or not similar but had a strong power'ness' to the harry potter series? or books like "A long way gone" or the stephen colbert book.
i wouldn't mind comedy, fantasy, biographies. no lord of the rings please;
*i think a series would be fun=)
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For fantasy I would recommend The First Law series by Joe Abercrombie. It's a 3 book series by a new writer that is actually finished and in my opinion a lot more accessible than the popular fantasy series right now. It's similar to Ice and Fire in a lot of respects, with the way it mixes gritty violence with dark humor, but it focuses a lot more on the latter. It also manages to make what sound like generic fantasy characters very compelling and anything but generic. If you read the first book and don't think Logen and Glokta (specifically him) are two of the better fantasy characters ever written there's something wrong with you.
It also has a sort of throwback vibe to Conan era fantasy. I would recommend the series to any Ice and Fire fan. And whether or not you are one yet it will invariably be praised in this thread by a lot of people
edit: actually don't read that review its basically a synopsis just check out amazon.com or something
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On May 25 2009 02:28 jjun212 wrote: i wouldn't mind comedy, fantasy, biographies. no lord of the rings please;
Oo haven't heard people ask for biography recommendations before.
May I suggest "Mortal Games" by Fred Waitzkin. I'm not gunna write a long book review cus I wanna get back to iccup but basically it deals with Garry Kasparov and his politcal life fighting for democracy in soviet russia around the time he has to defend the chess world championship against Karpov.
Also for fantasy I could recommend any series by Robin Hobb, particulary "The Farseer" trilogy.
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For fantasy I recomend: The Wheel of Time serie, by Robert Jordan- Really great series, it's long though. All the Drizzt Do'Urden books, by R.A Salvator aswell, they are really good and packed with a lot of action. For Comedy: Dave Barry's Guide to Guys, must read- I don't really know what else to say. There are lots of great series out there, you just have to find them.
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I dunno what you mean by powerness, but an excellent fantasy series is His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman. It's epic and accessible, it's set in a parallel universe that's really interesting, the characters are awesome, the story is awesome, I would seriously recommend it. Way better than Harry Potter in my opinion, although it's quite different.
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artemis fowl, the only series that i've had the urge to read
otherwise, reading is boring and makes me fall asleep after 20 minutes
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There was a blog similar to this a few days ago, and I recommended this book, and I would reocmmend it again haha
The best book I've read thus far this year is easily The Name of the Wind and I would strongly recommend it to anyone.
stolen from the book's website (because i'm too lazy to type):
+ Show Spoiler + My name is Kvothe, pronounced nearly the same as "quothe." Names are important as they tell you a great deal about a person. I've had more names than anyone has a right to. The Adem call me Maedre. Which, depending on how it's spoken, can mean The Flame, The Thunder, or The Broken Tree.
"The Flame" is obvious if you've ever seen me. I have red hair, bright. If I had been born a couple of hundred years ago I would probably have been burned as a demon. I keep it short but it's unruly. When left to its own devices, it sticks up and makes me look as if I have been set afire.
"The Thunder" I attribute to a strong baritone and a great deal of stage training at an early age.
I've never thought of "The Broken Tree" as very significant. Although in retrospect, I suppose it could be considered at least partially prophetic.
My first mentor called me E'lir because I was clever and I knew it. My first real lover called me Dulator because she liked the sound of it. I have been called Shadicar, Lightfinger, and Six-String. I have been called Kvothe the Bloodless, Kvothe the Arcane, and Kvothe Kingkiller. I have earned those names. Bought and paid for them.
But I was brought up as Kvothe. My father once told me it meant "to know."
I have, of course, been called many other things. Most of them uncouth, although very few were unearned.
I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.
You may have heard of me.
I'd really recommend it....
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cat's cradle and slaughter-house five by Kurt Vonnegut are really funny (and also really really really good) novels.
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Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is really good, one of my favorites.
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Baa?21242 Posts
Agree with Ender's Game; it's also part of a series, and has a parallel series starting with Ender's Shadow.
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The Ultimate Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams for satirical comedy that makes Colbert look newbie. Also its the complete series and its quite entertaining, its a must read.
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On May 25 2009 06:09 samachking wrote: The Ultimate Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams for satirical comedy that makes Colbert look newbie. Also its the complete series and its quite entertaining, its a must read.
This.
And for something similar to the Harry Potter series (but far better) try The Bartimaeus Trilogy.
It follows a smart (and thus powerful) magician boy named Nathaniel, a djinni (who is the true hero of the series) named Bartimaeus, and later on a rebellious "commoner" (someone who doesn't practice magic) named Kitty.
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My brother recently read Confederacy of Dunces and told me to and I really liked it, you should check that out also.
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I second the Wheel of Time series...but only if you're into thicker books, and...a more in-depth plot, shall we say? Robert Jordan is really good at weaving together multiple story arcs, although it get's a bit lengthy sometimes.
Also, the Sword of Truth series. It's a good series, going a bit into society and philosophy. Oh, and there are some...more graphic scenes, if you're underage?
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21 bringing down the house
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If you're into Harry Potter then as someone mentioned Artemis Fowl is probably a good idea..
From your post this mightn't be for you but Darkly Dreaming Dexter (among other Dexter books) is one of my favourites.. if you've seen the TV series when you'll know what it's about. While the TV series is fucking awesome, the books' storylines are a lot more interesting to me, and it contains A LOT of black comedy.
If you haven't seen it then I recommend you to check the TV series out (as long as blood/murder doesn't freak you out :p)
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thanks so much for the recommendation guys!!1
my summer is going to be filled now haha
oh and i don't want lord of the rings because i wanted to have a read where i can really let my imagination build along with the story. lord of the rings books reminds me so much of orlando bloom and what not. i know harry potter is also really big but i guess i personally haven't been surrounded too much by that series.
plus i didn't really like "Children of Hurin" too much. i know the main writer didn't write it but still; it wasn't a page turner for me and i dont think LOTR series will be either;
but thanks again!
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