I like some pretty weird and crazy books, some historical, some sci-fi, some post-apocalyptic, some fantasy, some just crazy. You may not enjoy the books I like, but here are my favorite books/series and if they look interesting to you, give them a try!
Belisarius Series (Eric Flint and David Drake): I hope I don't turn too many people off by this first suggestion. This is an alternate history series about two advanced races from the future that travel back in time to try to change the course of history to their liking. This series is very interesting, full of humor (much more than you would expect), strategy, history, and intrigue. This is my favorite series of all time and if you like alternate history, history, battle strategy, or just great writing you will enjoy this series.
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams): This is the oddest book on my list. I have the one book that has all five books in one so I just refer to is as one book. It is a fantastic read, the most interesting, oddly fascinating, rambling, rabbit-trailing, off-topic, hard-to-describe book I have ever read! You will confused, surprised, and intrigued the entire time. Read it, now.
Harry Potter Series (J.K. Rowling): You have all heard of Harry Potter, I read them in high school and have loved them ever since. My wife reads these books whenever she runs out of new books to read, so obviously she loves them more than I do, but this series is one of my favorites. And always will be.
The Hunger Games Series (Suzanne Collins): I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys getting absolutely sucked into a series and never getting out! You will read these books until your brain figuratively stops working. You will lose sleep and you will lose your mind if you have to put them down to do anything else. They are good and addictive, the writing is great and the characters are deep.
Ender's Game/Ender's Shadow (Orson Scott Card): Ender's Game is one of my favorite solitary books ever written. If I was just rating single books by themselves, Hitchhiker's Guide would be first and this one would be second. It is an amazing journey and you can't help but feel like you are Ender Wiggin and you have to beat all the insurmountable odds that assail you. Ender's Shadow is a parallel book that follows one of the other main characters, Bean, during the same exact time as Ender's Game. It is fascinating to read a novel that is the same story as one you just read, but from a different perspective. You know how it ends, you know what happens, but you are absolutely glued to the pages, because the difference in perspective is done phenomenally. I love these books, they are must reads for any Sci-Fi fan.
Conqueror Series (Conn Iggulden): I have actually just finished this series recently and it has jumped into the most-loved section of my books. I love the story of Genghis Khan, for some reason the nomadic Mongol tribes that band together, form a nation, burn and pillage half the known world, and then create the largest contiguous empire the world has ever seen, is an amazingly attractive storyline. This series takes you from Genghis's childhood, through his life, death, the lives and rules of his kids and his grandkids, and their eventual death. Much of the dialogue and interaction of course are fabricated because the Mongols did not keep many written records of their lives until later. The history is accurate and real, the personalities are taken from fact and fiction, and the details are inserted to make a compelling story. It all fits together to make one of the most interesting series I have ever read.
Percy Jackson Series (Rick Riordan) : This is a teen novel series that I did not think I was going to get into. My wife started reading the first book and she said it was good, so I tried it. I wasn't hooked like I was with Harry Potter or the Hunger Games, but it was good. The writing is of lower quality and lower education level than many on this list, and so I might suggest this series (or anything by Rick Riordan) for a younger reader or a reader who isn't scared to read some teen fiction.
Dirk Pitt Novels (Clive Cussler): I have read more Clive Cussler novels than any other writer by far. I think to date I have completed about 23 Clive Cussler novels, with the majority of those being his Dirk Pitt books. I love his main character Dirk Pitt, he is strong of heart and mind, morally good, and the absolute hero every guy wants to be. I find myself trying to act like Dirk sometimes, try to be a gentleman in even the most abnormal situations. These books are packed with adventure and fun, humor and joy, fear and twists, they are well written and fast-paced action. If you love a roller-coaster ride where you will learn a lot, read these books.
Three (Ted Dekker): Another rare solitary book on my list full of series. This is possibly the most mind-boggling book I have ever read, the story is normal, the book is good, but there are things that you would not ever imagine going on. I won't say more, but if you love having your mind turned inside out and put back in your brain, read this book. Love it.
Maze Runner Series (James Dashner): I know I have a lot of series's on this list that are intense and nail-biters, but this is yet another series which is difficult to put down. You will be confused and conflicted almost the entire series. You will hate a character and then love them, you will think you have it all figured out and then you don't. You will not know what this one part of the book has to do with anything until it is semi-explained later, then you will still be confused until the end. Weird, fun, crazy, post-apocalyptic, and a must-read for those who love twists, cliff-hangers, and teen novels.
Pathfinder Series (Orson Scott Card): This is one of the newest series's I have finished and it barely made this list because it isn't over yet. I have read Pathfinder and Ruins, but there are still so many more questions that I need answers to and so many more interesting twists that I know Orson Scott Card is going to throw at me in the final third book. This book has made me think about so many things related to science fiction, time travel, the development of civilizations, consequences of actions, and so on and so forth. I hope that the final book draws to a close in a dramatic, but realistic manner, ending the series with dignity and surprise.
Thanks for reading, I hope this gave you some new options for books to read.
Belisarius Series (Eric Flint and David Drake): I hope I don't turn too many people off by this first suggestion. This is an alternate history series about two advanced races from the future that travel back in time to try to change the course of history to their liking. This series is very interesting, full of humor (much more than you would expect), strategy, history, and intrigue. This is my favorite series of all time and if you like alternate history, history, battle strategy, or just great writing you will enjoy this series.
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams): This is the oddest book on my list. I have the one book that has all five books in one so I just refer to is as one book. It is a fantastic read, the most interesting, oddly fascinating, rambling, rabbit-trailing, off-topic, hard-to-describe book I have ever read! You will confused, surprised, and intrigued the entire time. Read it, now.
Harry Potter Series (J.K. Rowling): You have all heard of Harry Potter, I read them in high school and have loved them ever since. My wife reads these books whenever she runs out of new books to read, so obviously she loves them more than I do, but this series is one of my favorites. And always will be.
The Hunger Games Series (Suzanne Collins): I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoys getting absolutely sucked into a series and never getting out! You will read these books until your brain figuratively stops working. You will lose sleep and you will lose your mind if you have to put them down to do anything else. They are good and addictive, the writing is great and the characters are deep.
Ender's Game/Ender's Shadow (Orson Scott Card): Ender's Game is one of my favorite solitary books ever written. If I was just rating single books by themselves, Hitchhiker's Guide would be first and this one would be second. It is an amazing journey and you can't help but feel like you are Ender Wiggin and you have to beat all the insurmountable odds that assail you. Ender's Shadow is a parallel book that follows one of the other main characters, Bean, during the same exact time as Ender's Game. It is fascinating to read a novel that is the same story as one you just read, but from a different perspective. You know how it ends, you know what happens, but you are absolutely glued to the pages, because the difference in perspective is done phenomenally. I love these books, they are must reads for any Sci-Fi fan.
Conqueror Series (Conn Iggulden): I have actually just finished this series recently and it has jumped into the most-loved section of my books. I love the story of Genghis Khan, for some reason the nomadic Mongol tribes that band together, form a nation, burn and pillage half the known world, and then create the largest contiguous empire the world has ever seen, is an amazingly attractive storyline. This series takes you from Genghis's childhood, through his life, death, the lives and rules of his kids and his grandkids, and their eventual death. Much of the dialogue and interaction of course are fabricated because the Mongols did not keep many written records of their lives until later. The history is accurate and real, the personalities are taken from fact and fiction, and the details are inserted to make a compelling story. It all fits together to make one of the most interesting series I have ever read.
Percy Jackson Series (Rick Riordan) : This is a teen novel series that I did not think I was going to get into. My wife started reading the first book and she said it was good, so I tried it. I wasn't hooked like I was with Harry Potter or the Hunger Games, but it was good. The writing is of lower quality and lower education level than many on this list, and so I might suggest this series (or anything by Rick Riordan) for a younger reader or a reader who isn't scared to read some teen fiction.
Dirk Pitt Novels (Clive Cussler): I have read more Clive Cussler novels than any other writer by far. I think to date I have completed about 23 Clive Cussler novels, with the majority of those being his Dirk Pitt books. I love his main character Dirk Pitt, he is strong of heart and mind, morally good, and the absolute hero every guy wants to be. I find myself trying to act like Dirk sometimes, try to be a gentleman in even the most abnormal situations. These books are packed with adventure and fun, humor and joy, fear and twists, they are well written and fast-paced action. If you love a roller-coaster ride where you will learn a lot, read these books.
Three (Ted Dekker): Another rare solitary book on my list full of series. This is possibly the most mind-boggling book I have ever read, the story is normal, the book is good, but there are things that you would not ever imagine going on. I won't say more, but if you love having your mind turned inside out and put back in your brain, read this book. Love it.
Maze Runner Series (James Dashner): I know I have a lot of series's on this list that are intense and nail-biters, but this is yet another series which is difficult to put down. You will be confused and conflicted almost the entire series. You will hate a character and then love them, you will think you have it all figured out and then you don't. You will not know what this one part of the book has to do with anything until it is semi-explained later, then you will still be confused until the end. Weird, fun, crazy, post-apocalyptic, and a must-read for those who love twists, cliff-hangers, and teen novels.
Pathfinder Series (Orson Scott Card): This is one of the newest series's I have finished and it barely made this list because it isn't over yet. I have read Pathfinder and Ruins, but there are still so many more questions that I need answers to and so many more interesting twists that I know Orson Scott Card is going to throw at me in the final third book. This book has made me think about so many things related to science fiction, time travel, the development of civilizations, consequences of actions, and so on and so forth. I hope that the final book draws to a close in a dramatic, but realistic manner, ending the series with dignity and surprise.
Thanks for reading, I hope this gave you some new options for books to read.