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[Ishotdanieljohnston]

i've just started reading motherless brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem and while it's not the best book i've ever read (so far) it's a really good read- witty, orignal, interesting and not to heavy. Kind of a paul Auster, Chuck Palahniuk thing... about an orphan with tourettes tryin to find the killer of his mentor... currently being made into a film by Ed Norton.

[Stwonga]

I recommend Marabou Stork Nightmares by Irvine Welsh


The pathos/action/style is very entertaining, and in general its an awesome book.

[Nettle]

I recommend The Adventures of Lano and Woodley. It's an Australian comedy show, 13 episodes, slapstick stuff.
http://video.google.pl/videoplay?docid=4420242976661739832 here's one episode.

[carnivoracious]

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

A new take on the Dracula mythos (no, really).  Written in much the same style as the Bram Stoker novel that started Dracula's literary career, the story is told equally in first person narrative and letters from the characters themselves.  The Historian is the tale of a quest for the historical Vlad III.  It's difficult to put into words how incredible this novel is.  I was awed as much by the emotional impact of the characters as the locations (and the history of those locations!)  This is one of those books that makes you wonder about the importance of what you (or anyone else) is doing.  With so much history in front of me, it's hard not to feel insignificant.  It's almost as if the Dark Prince's presence reaches foreward through history to intimidate the reader...

[The Cloaked Stranger]

If you read science fiction at all, I recommend the Sparrow and it's sequel Children of God. They are written by Maria Doria Russel, and are incredible.  They have very well planned stories, with fantastically detailed settings and characters.  It covers a wide range of interesting topics:  encountering other cultures, scientific discoveries, faith and philosophy, humour and adventure.  Excellent reads.

I didn't really see a thread for online novels, but I think they sort of count as books -- there's Tales of MU, a very interesting fantasy world where humans, elves, nymphs and demons go to a magic university.  http://www.talesofmu.com/story/  Mature themes, so keep that in mind!

Another new online story is No Man an Island.  It's just getting started, but seems interesting.  http://www.nomananisland.wordpress.com

Like QC, these sites are free, and on Tales of MU the author has a similar goal to Jeph's, she's hoping to be able to quit her day job in January to write full time.  Her writing is so good I'm telling people it's worth checking out.

[Runs_With_Scissors]

My Sisters Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Oh. My. Goodnessgracious. Awesome book. It was also the only book that has put me in tears. I'm not a very emotional person, so that's pretty amazing. The emotion of the story, and how each chapter was told by a different family member (it circulates around the family, the lawyer, and other important characters).

In My Sister's Keeper, Anna Fitzgerald was conceived and born so that she could provide genetically compatible body fluids and parts for her older sister, Kate, who suffers from leukemia. When Kate is 16 and Anna is 13, Kate needs a kidney transplant and Anna balks at giving up one of hers. She hires a lawyer to petition for medical emancipation from her parents, so that she alone can make decisions about her body. It's a decision that threatens to tear the family apart, from her mother who gave up a law practice to be a stay-at-home mom, an older brother who feels left out, and her father who wavers between choosing sides. Jodi Picoult's novel examines the inner workings of a family struggling to find love, and life, within all their relationships. My Sister's Keeper has received strong reviews with the San Jose Mercury News saying, "My Sister's Keeper is a terrific book, right down to the final surprise."

(I had to steal a review, to tired to write one out myself)

[carnivoracious]

Back with more recommendations! (aren't you excited?)

I discovered a new webcomic (due in no small part to a lady that works at the bookstore I frequent) called Girl Genius.  A gaslamp fantasy (victorian era costumes, airships, but with more fantasy elements than steampunk) where a girl with oddly manifested mechanical aptitude is abducted from Transylvania Polygnostic University.  Adventure, romance, and mad science ensue (that's actually the comic's tagline).  The entire comic is free online, but you can get dead tree versions at excellent booksellers if you so desire.

I also second Karl Schroeder's Sun of Suns.  Excellent steampunk worldbuilding.  The main character is caught between enacting vengeance upon an airship captain that was responsible for the death of his parents, or saving the nation that conquered his own from more sinister enemies.  Oh, and the whole world is a giant bubble of air with multiple fusion engines (suns) inside.  The sequel, Queen of Candesce is now out in hardcover.

Can you tell I'm jonezin' for this type of stuff?  If anyone can recommend good gaslamp or steampunk anything (not just books, I'm open minded) please do so!

Holy Hell!  I just hit 100!

In commemoration of this event, I recommend Liz Jensen's My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time.  Almost gaslamp I think.  A Danish prostitute is hired as a maid for an eccentric old scientist and discovers his time machine.  The adventure and romance are par for the course, but the humor is what hooked me!  Excellent stuff.

[Worldbeing]

First, the book I'm reading at the moment:
Dune, by Frank Herbert
A must for any sci-fi fan, it's even been referenced as a geek in-joke in QC! Amazing story that deals with classic sci-fi concepts, politics, personal stories, world-changing ideas... and if you like it, there's about five more books to read.

And some I read recently, Twilight by Stephanie Meyers, and it's sequel New Moon.
Although they're targeted at a young audience, they are well written and fascinating love stories with a fantasy/supernatural element as well. Good for a quick read.

[Tom]

Dune = Awesome.

I recommend the Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, rewardingly spooky and requires no explanation, the man was a twisted genius.

[pistachio_love]

I completely agree with you, 1pathetic loser. Firefly is an awesome series.

I would suggest checking out Freaks and Geeks. I've developed a fem-crush for Cardellini. Terrible, huh...

[PatentAbsurdity]

I've noticed that quite a few people have Neil Gaiman, which shows that all is right with the world because he is excellent.

But not a single person has even mentioned Stardust. I'm shocked by this. Profoundly shocked. Gaiman's Stardust is elaborately crafted and completely lovely. It is a fizzy, shining piece of fantasy and a wonderful story with a beautifully wrought setting and a plot that twists like a lightning struck tree. Completely huge fan of all his stuff, don't get me wrong, Smoke and Mirrors is a glorious, bizarre anthology, Good Omens is hilarious, but Stardust is probably my favorite of his work. The new illustrated version is the stuff dreams are made from.
The movie does not do it justice, which was disappointing after the terrific acid wonderland brilliance of MirrorMask.

And Stardust is the result of a bet Neil and Diana Wynne Jones made about John Donne, which is great. I always like hearing that all the authors I like are actually good friends.
Diana wrote Howl's Moving Castle for her part. The book is a whimsical delight with really likable characters, and the Miyazaki film version has droolworthy animation. Check 'em out.

[Tom]

every time I go to buy Stardust, "Sorry we're out"
"Can I order a copy?"
"Yeah sure"
I then order it and it never comes in. Last week they finally got a copy in but someone bought it before i did.
My local library doesn't have any Gaiman.

I found out yesterday that no one in my religion class, which has a lot of people who are in advanced English class, has read Jane Eyre.
Please, if you haven't read it, read it. It's the greatest piece 19th century gothic literature.

[pistachio_love]

I've just started reading Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer; I'm only a few chapters in, and I've fallen in love.

Alex Perchov is a gem; "I am a premium person." ^^

[Liz]

For those that want to read more Neil Gaiman, we had a user on the forums a couple months back that created a QC Forums Gmail account and filled it full of some great e-books, including a ton of stuff by Gaiman. Just go to www.gmail.com, enter the username as 'qcforums' and password as 'pintsize' to reveal the glory. Then put 'Neil Gaiman' into the search bar and enjoy!

[Tom]

*GlobhbajbjBJBJB BLURGGGGGG* best news all day.

[Liz]

Glad to be of service.

[Wayfaring Stranger]

I'm going to highly recommend that everyone read The Hummingbird's Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea.

It's really great historical fiction, taking place at the beginning of the Mexican revolution.  The writing is simply beautiful and Urrea is seriously witty, without ever becoming trite or silly.  It was researched over an almost twenty-year span, which is pretty apparent in its level of detail.  Fantastic book.

[TheFuriousWombat]

I found out yesterday that no one in my religion class, which has a lot of people who are in advanced English class, has read Jane Eyre.
Please, if you haven't read it, read it. It's the greatest piece 19th century gothic literature.

You, sir, are cruel. You're trying to trick poor, unsuspecting souls into reading that book. It just isn't nice of you.
My recommendation is: Primo Levi's "If Not Now, When?" It's a brilliant and bleak novel about a band of Jewish partisans fighting across Eastern Europe at the end of World War II with the ultimate goal of reaching Palestine through Italy. It's a dark, violent story but it is beautifully written and wholly engrossing. Check it out.

[Wayfaring Stranger]

Yeah, I don't know if the praise is warranted or not, but you would expect advanced English students to have read it at least.

[PatentAbsurdity]

I just finished reading Eric Flint's Philosophical Strangler.

That's not a typo. This is an excellently interesting book. Philosophy, violence, lesbians, quite a few laughs.
It may or may not be a sequel to something. I cannot figure this out. Flint keeps referencing backwards, but I can't tell if he's just being weird, or if this is the second book in a series. I hope it is. I'd love a sequel. It's a really entertaining book. Parodies and punning for Aspirin fans, if anyone is. This is a perfect book for Asprin fans/

Also, if there are any other Diana Wynne Jones fans out there, I've finished the new Chrestomanci book, and it's definitely worth reading, especially if you are interested in the way religion effects things.

[dr.sangaygupta]

I, Lucifer by Glen Duncan
absolutely witty and absolutly chock-full of bitter sarcasm.
all from Satan's point of view.

[Tom]

If you after a good laugh try the subtle unintentional humour of Go Ask Alice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Go_Ask_Alice

Although "Anonymous" the mormon youth councilor, Beatrice Sparks, spins a pleasingly vapid tale of teenage drug addiction in affluent post war sub/urban America.

[Inlander]

Season 5 of the Wire is due to start any day now. It will be the last season of the Wire. All four previous seasons are readily available on D.V.D. I will not give you people another chance.

[ledhendrix]

Good book to read is Perfume by Suskind, it's probably my favorite, the movie wasn't great though.

Good movie would be Dead Mans Shoes.

[SevenPinkerton]

I'd recommend Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig to anyone who can read. Also, Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.

I just recently got into fiction books for the first time in my life (I'm 23) and I came into contact with a few young adult series that I adore. I love all of Diana Wynne Jones books. And most of all - The Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer for all you pirate and sailor and history lovers out there!

[FUBAR]

Double Eagle
Dan Abnett


I realize it's in the Warhammer 40K universe, but it's actually a very good read.

[Uber Ritter]

Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell By Susanna Clarke
I'm really, really surprised with many people here's taste for well-written fantasy stories that no one has recommended this book.  An alternate history/fantasy novel, it imagine a past in which magicians shaped the course of English history for hundreds of years, then disapeared until one shows up in the midst of the Napoleanic Wars...and then another one joins him, and there you have the title characters.  Probably the best treatment of magic, fairies and other creepyness that I've read in...a long time, maybe since I read Charles Williams and George MacDonald.  Really solid characterization, funny bits, etc., plus often amusing (Lord Byron), sometimes disturbing (Mad King George III) cameos by historical figures.

Master and Commander By Patrick O'Brian and all the subsequent books, including Post Captain, Desolation Island and The Surgeon's Mate

Sure, you probably saw the movie.  Which was a good movie, all things considered, but it doesn't hold a candle to the novels.  While I though that the movie's best point was  how visceral the action scenes looked and felt and how prettily shot everything was, the novel's greatest strength are their characters, particularly Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, the two leads.  The first novel isn't the best one, but it's a very good book in its own right, and it introduces the reader to the characters and their foibles, like Jack's sailorly weakness for loose women and Maturin's passion for natural philosophy.  One of the greatest pleasures of the series is seeing how the characters evolve over the years, as Jack becomes less boistrous and more dignified and reserved and Maturin becomes more cynical and more of an unlikely badass, so reading every novel you can get your hands on is heartily recomended.  High points are the introduction of the women in Jack and Stephen's lives, Sophie and Diana, in Post Captain, a voyage where nothing goes right in Desolation Island and an exciting prison break, as well as Stephen's affections for Diana coming to a head, in The Surgeon's Mate.  The movie was an odd mash-up of various novels, including Master and Commander, the Far Side of the World and bits from Desolation Island.

[Dimmukane]

I'm looking for movies similar to Oldboy, if anyone knows of any.

Well I can certainly reccoment the prequal, Sympathy for mr. vengeance, which i thought was alot better...

With some christmas money I went and bought this and the sequel, Lady Vengeance.  Between the three, in order of best to worst, it's Oldboy, Lady Vengeance, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance.  That's not to say any of them are bad, in fact, all 3 movies are in my top 10.  But I was really looking for something with similar cinematography, pacing, etc. 

Also, I noticed that I never mentioned the name of the zombie movie I was talking about.  It's Dellamorte Dellamore, more commonly known as The Cemetary Man.  It's damn good, any fan of zombie movies should check it out.

[PretentiousYoungSuitors]

Also, Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.

Ultra-agree, as well the sequels, The Story of B and My Ishmael.

I'm working on Lolita by Nabokov right now, and its very, very good.  Don't know if that's been recommended yet.

[thehollow]

I watched The Host last night, and I really liked it. It's a south korean monster flick about some weird mutated fish monster thing that attacks some city in south korea, and, for good measure, carries a deadly virus that infects everyone. By korean standards it's a really big-budget film ($11 million), but by US standards it's not, making the CGI and special effects of the monster that much more impressive, especially because it's seen very clearly and in broad daylight. If you're a monster movie person, you'd probably enjoy it.

[ledhendrix]

Just watched the Machinist last night and i really enjoyed it, the plot is great and the twist at the end is amazing, i had no idea what was coming most of the way through.

[Fidel Fanst]

The A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin is very good. So's the Belgariad and Malloreon by Davind Eddings. GO READ THEM NOW!

[Paav]

I second the Eddings recommendation. Both those series are a lot of fun. Each series is five books but the pacing keeps up the action. There are lots of characters and they are very distiinct. I enjoy watching them grow and change through out the story.

Also I'd like to recommend the Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall. It's a book about memories and words and concepts and how all of these intersect to create who a person is and the world they inhabit.

[SonofZ3]

Even if you're not at all interested in the art of Origami as a hobby, check out the book Folding the Universe: Origami from Angelfish to Zen by Peter Engel, if your local library has it.The introduction is a great study of the philosophy and Art behind Origami. It lead me to a lot of pleasing realizations about various types of art and the relationship between things.

[AsteriskEnye3]

Dexter, a series on Showtime, is probably one of the most interesting and original shows I've ever seen. The basic premise is this: Dexter Morgan is a blood-spatter analyst for the Miami PD, has a sister on the force, and has a girlfriend. He's also a serial killer, whose prey consists of fellow killers, those who have done it, maybe multiple times, and are likely to do it again. These methods were taught to him by his adoptive father, also an officer in the Miami PD. While it sounds like a cheesy vigilante justice thriller on paper, it is clear that Dexter's "code" is ingrained from his father's training, and not a personal preference. As much as it seems like his victims deserve their fate, you still have to remember who is finishing them off. And that's why Dexter is so damned good.
There's also a shit-ton of black humor relating to killing people. So you have to have a stomach for that, too.
If you don't have Showtime, just go on iTunes and buy an episode every once in a while. They're close to an hour solid apiece, which makes them a lot more cost-efficient as, say, an Office episode.

[october1983]

I'd like to recommend the film Black Cat, White Cat to you all. Based around the lives of a struggling Romani smuggler and his son living on the banks of the Danube in eastern Serbia, it is perhaps one of the funniest films I've seen in recent years. It's the perfect blend of absurd comedy that blends a mixture of brilliant wit, ingenious visual punchlines and perfectly executed slapstick with a cast of compelling and convincing characters. I might watch it again now, actually.

[SilentJ]

Season 5 of the Wire is due to start any day now. It will be the last season of the Wire. All four previous seasons are readily available on D.V.D. I will not give you people another chance.

You know what's awesome?  I found out recently that The Wire is written by the same guy who wrote both The Corner and Homicide: Life on the Street.

You know what else is awesome?  They all take place in a city (Baltimore) that's like fifteen minutes away from me.  Every time I've ever watched Homicide I look at the places they go to (Pimlico, Lexington Market, etc.) and I'm like "holy jesusfuck I know these places!"

Sadly I have not seen The Wire yet, which is why a torrent of season 1 is currently downloading.

OH MAN OH MAN I just remembered.  Quite possibly the awesomest of all: my uncle has a cameo in one episode!  Since I haven't seen the show at all I don't know if you'll be able to find it from my description, but in one episode two detectives are trying to get into somebody's apartment, but the door manager to the apartment building is just like "I'm sorry, I don't really have the authority to let you in, it's not part of my jurisdiction..." or something.

The door manager's my uncle.

[OrigNES]

Nightwatch and Daywatch - Russian fantasy action films

They are based on a series of fantasy novels by Sergei Lukyanenko, both the books and the films have the balance of light and dark, and what happens when one becomes a bit greater than the other. The stories definately build up the characters and draw you in. Only downside to the films are they don't contain as much as the novels.

[Trillian]

For those that want to read more Neil Gaiman, we had a user on the forums a couple months back that created a QC Forums Gmail account and filled it full of some great e-books, including a ton of stuff by Gaiman. Just go to www.gmail.com, enter the username as 'qcforums' and password as 'pintsize' to reveal the glory. Then put 'Neil Gaiman' into the search bar and enjoy!

...that is so fantastic.  By the way, I agree with everyone that recommended Neil Gaiman.  I am in love with that man. 

My recommendation is for:

Japan's most highly regarded novelist now vaults into the first ranks of international fiction writers with this heroically imaginative novel, which is at once a detective story, an account of a disintegrating marriage, and an excavation of the buried secrets of World War II.

In a Tokyo suburb a young man named Toru Okada searches for his wife's missing cat.  Soon he finds himself looking for his wife as well in a netherworld that lies beneath the placid surface of Tokyo.  As these searches intersect, Okada encounters a bizarre group of allies and antagonists: a psychic prostitute; a malevolent yet mediagenic politician; a cheerfully morbid sixteen-year-old-girl; and an aging war veteran who has been permanently changed by the hideous things he witnessed during Japan's forgotten campaign in Manchuria.

Gripping, prophetic, suffused with comedy and menace, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is a tour de force equal in scope to the masterpieces of Mishima and Pynchon.

This book is quite post-modern in structure.  The plot design seems disjointed and can be confusing at times, but I really think that is what makes Murakami a genius.  He gives you all of the pieces of the puzzle in a mixed up order but eloquently ties them all together to paint a beautiful portrait.  The book is rather long, but, at least in my opinion, it is well worth it. 

[thehollow]

I'm aware that I'm incredibly late in hopping on the bandwagon, butafter watching all the episodes as well as the movie today, I need to add my recommendation for Firefly/Serenity. I've never been a fan of Whedon's other stuff,  I thought Buffy was pretty lame, but this show is really good.

[Trillian]

I second that.  I adore Firefly and am very upset that they cut the show before they could finish the entire series.  At least we got Serenity!  Unfortunately it just skipped half of the story.    I heartily recommend it though.

[UnidentifiedFlyingCupcake]

This thread is overstimulating. So... many... things... to read... My brain can't decide whether to marvel at the amazingness of a world with so many good books and movies, or to be depressed by the fact that I will never get through them all.

I am right now reading One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, and it is phenomenal. I had read some of his short stories and so decided to start on the novels, beginning with this one, which I am reading for my senior research/analysis paper. It is seriously mind-boggling. Magic realism... it makes me say "what the hell? What the hell! What the hell?! ... ... ... OOOOHHHHH... Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhhh... oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness." In a very positive way, to be sure.

Then, too, there is this beautiful little book called Finding Lilly, the true story of a woman who accompanies a friend to China to adopt a baby girl and ends up adopting the girl herself when the friend bails. It sounds sentimental, and in some ways it is, but it is also gorgeous, dreamy writing and a fascinating story.

Lastly, The Portable Dorothy Parker should be required reading for everyone at least in the Western world. I don't know how well it would work to translate everything into other languages, but hey, it's worth it for the absolute brilliance.

[peonyandocean]

I'm going to recommend "Journey by Moonlight" by Szerb Antal.
It's about Mihaly, who while on his honeymoon in Venice, starts remembering things from his adolescence and tries to go and solve the mysteries in order to fully let go of his past. I make it sound horrible, but really, it's not. It's great; beautiful imagery and the like.

Also, "I Wish Someone Were Waiting for Me Somewhere" by Anna Gavalda.
Short bittersweet stories about everyday happenings in life and the impact they have. One of my favorite reads, ever.

[Lien.]

I am right now reading One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, and it is phenomenal. I had read some of his short stories and so decided to start on the novels, beginning with this one, which I am reading for my senior research/analysis paper. It is seriously mind-boggling. Magic realism... it makes me say "what the hell? What the hell! What the hell?! ... ... ... OOOOHHHHH... Oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhhh... oh my goodness, oh my goodness, oh my goodness." In a very positive way, to be sure.

Ahh, I love G.G. Marquez...! One Hundred Years of Solitude is so awesome, and I loved Chronicle of a Death Foretold and La Hojarasca (I don't know what the English title is, I read it in Dutch) as well! I should read some more of his work...

I'm currently reading:

All Men are Mortal by Simone de Beauvoir. She is more known for her writings in feminist theory (The Second Sex etc), but her novels are such a treat... This one is about an Italian gentleman, Fosca, who drinks an immortality potion to have enough time to achieve all his goals. When we meet him we're in the 20th century and he has been alive since the 13th. He tells his story, which is truly sad and bitter, since he always loses everyone he grows to love, but it's also a journey through history, because well... he has seen it all. It's wonderfully written and it makes you realise it is actually not a burden to have your life come to an end... because life is pointless if you can live forever.

Very much recommended!

[cmalberg]

Movies for Halloween:

Man Bites Dog - It will educate you because it is Belgum and so you get to read the subtitles, and it is very funny.

Man With the Screaming Brain - It is also very silly, and by Bruce Cambell, great for Halloween! Dazzling make up and special effects! Drama! Robots!

Any short films that were in the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival - They do Cthulhu right. Plus there are awesome scary films that will make you shiver and giggle at the same time. Also if you are in portland next year in early october, go t the hollywood theater.

Chumscrubber - It was trying to be like Donnie Darko, but it didn't quite make it. If you like dolphins, this movie is for you!

The Uninvited - It's got ghosts!

Old Dark House - Boris Karloff is in there, plus romance (not with boris karloff) and potatos (not related to the romance)

Do not forget the old traditions of Great Pumpikn, Charlie Brown and Hocus Pocus, because they're traditional.

So a little late for this, but add "Mae" to this list. One of the most interesting and easy to watch gore films while still making your skin crawl. One of the most creepy endings of all time.

[singeivoire]

Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell By Susanna Clarke

I agree! This book is a brick -  but I thought it was excellent. Honestly, I was derailed about halfway through my first reading of it, but recently picked it back up and powered through the last 500 pages in a single weekend. The book invents its own genre - a blend of fantastic literature, novel of manners, and faux-academic textbook. The footnotes in and of themselves are charming little bunny trails that keep the narrative dense and richly layered. Loved it, bought it, will read it again.

I also would highly recommend the Gentelman Bastard Sequence from Scott Lynch - the two books out so far are just plain fun. The Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies may not be the deepest, most life-changing reads out there, but they are still worth owning, in my opinion. They are chock full of great characters, heists, pirates, revenge, magic, etc. If violence or profanity bother you, these may not be your bag. They are great "popcorn books", though - energetic and entertaining.

[Saiokuo]

Ok, I know a few of these have been mentioned so I won't state reasons for them as the other contributors have already done that but:

Books
His Dark Materials (Philip Pullman)
Ishmael (Daniel Quinn)
Rebecca (Daphne Du Maurier)
   "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again" - Rebecca is a romance novel twisted in lies and murder. Sound good yet? The story is set in first person of an author never given a first name who tells the story of how she went from being a poor companion girl to marrying a wealthy Englishmen and then to the small hotel from where she recounts the story. A very good read for any girls with an inferiority complex this is a must read as you have to watch Mrs. De Winters struggle with her own and how others manipulate her with it.
Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
   I think this book should be required for all girls in high school. This too is a romance of sorts but not your typical damsel in distress. Jane is a witty and sharp young girl which gets her into trouble until she becomes a governess for a man almost as sharp and witty as herself. Almost. But this is not a Disney story and there is no perfect marriage and happily ever after leaving Jane to find her own strength and choose what is best for herself.
Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson)
   Another girl book but one that the boys might enjoy as well. Speak is the delightfully dark tale of a freshmen raped at a summer party and her coping with what happened and being a social outcast. I can't recall if it's in first person or not but you do get insight into Melinda's mind which is full of wonderful dark sarcasm. Its a fun read, rape aside, and for me personally alot easier to stomach than it's sister "Catalyst" by Anderson as well.

Shows
Fullmetal Alchemist
   Fullmetal Alchemist starts out looking like an amusing and adorable series with action and a hint of tragedy. But once it starts up you realise just how wrong you are. The comic relief and cute scenes stay active throughout the series but more to break the growing tensions as brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric struggle to make sense of the world they're growing up in. Again and again they are forced into situations that open their eyes to the naivity of their beliefs until that point. A wonderful series to the end. Also, I have yet to see the movie that accompanies the series but I have heard it to be very good.
Deathnote
   Ok, so for anyone whose read the graphic novel and feels they don't need to watch it they're probably right. Its the same basic thing, no major plot changes, and you have to deal with Misa's voice. It could break windows, I swear. But that aside, Deathnote is a psychological cat and mouse game between killer and detective as Light Yagami is given the power to kill with a notebook and decides to use it to cast judgement on the criminals of the world. A trully amazing series, either in book or animation form.

[ad0wrc]

i've just started reading motherless brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem and while it's not the best book i've ever read (so far) it's a really good read- witty, orignal, interesting and not to heavy. Kind of a paul Auster, Chuck Palahniuk thing... about an orphan with tourettes tryin to find the killer of his mentor... currently being made into a film by Ed Norton.

I agree, solid read, very original voice. Is the movie going forward? I heard the same thing when the book came out, but then nothing.


My recommendation would have to be Agyar, by Steven Brust. Great anti-hero, dark stuff, and absolutely Brust's best work. He's probably better known in sci-fi/fantasy circles for the Taltos books, but Agyar just blew me away. I've recommended it to a lot of people, and without fail they've enjoyed it.

[Uber Ritter]

If you want to read something that's about as subtle, uneventful, beautiful and profound as life itself, only contained in 800 pages, I'd reccomend Middlemarch by George Eliot.  This novel single-handedly convinced my pompous ass that 19th century literature in English has something to offer on par with its Russian contemporaries.  Is it slow?  Yes.  But the characters are among the best drawn you'll ever see, the novel is incredibly philosophical without being preachy or digressive and towards the end it actually gets pretty engrossing for a novel where nearly nothing happens. 

If you want a shorter read, Benito Cereno by Herman Melville is around 50 or so pages of condensed awesome (and it can be found here-- http://www.esp.org/books/melville/piazza/contents/cereno.html).  The contrast between the titular Spaniard (BC) and the American Amasso Dellano (AD) alone offers up plenty of possible interpretations, including old vs. new world, ancient versus modern, etc etc.  Plus few stories probe as openly the connection between liberty for oneself and domination over others.

[cmalberg]

I've just started reading Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer; I'm only a few chapters in, and I've fallen in love.

Alex Perchov is a gem; "I am a premium person." ^^

absolutely wonderful book, although it does get a little dull at times (mostly in the history of Tchechimbrod.) the writing style is enthralling with the letters from alex between the history of the safran. if you haven't yet had the chance, watch the movie as well. different as it only follows the "very rigid search" and not the history, but good none the less. that film has one of the most depressing scenes of all time in it. not going to go into details for those who haven't had the chance to see it yet.