Books Subscribers Recommended (and if i liked them)
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- Опубликовано: 9 окт 2019
- Links to books I talked about in this video
(These are affiliate links. If you buy through these links, I get a small percentage of the sale):
Peter Pan amzn.to/30WwEWQ
The Name of the Wind amzn.to/321S5He
Assassin's Apprentice amzn.to/2B1NKbo
The Bear and the Nightingale amzn.to/2paAbn2
The Aeronaut's Windlass amzn.to/2Vw4q46
Nevernight amzn.to/33mpUTw
The Silmarillion amzn.to/2ny3q2O
Rebecca amzn.to/2Vuku6p
The Black Prism amzn.to/35loSsV
The Shining amzn.to/321TOMI
Pride and Prejudice amzn.to/2Mx0CLE
Dune amzn.to/2p6ufLW
Ender's Game amzn.to/2OBuuJO
Videos:
The Name of the Wind • Video
A Wise Man's Fear • Video
The Bear and the Nightingale • Video
The Black Prism • The Black Prism Review
The Blinding Knife • Video
The Shining • The Shining Book Review
WHERE TO FIND ME:
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I think you would really like unwind by Neal shusterman. It’s about three teenagers trying to survive in a world where their parents can choose to have them taken by the government for forced organ donation. (Aka unwinding) All three characters come from very different backgrounds. It really explores how they all work together and their friendship dynamics. Plus the world building is amazing.
I second this book.
Any Neal Shuster man is great, really, if I say so myself.
Unwind is SO good I was not expecting to love it as much, it was just supposed to be a one-off while I was waiting for my requested books to get returned to the library, but omg it's so good!
I'm about to read this book lol
I’m still so overjoyed that you loved the Silmarillion! One of my favorite books of all time.
I'm currently re-reading the Silmarillion right now and it is a very unique read. Beren and Luthien's story is amazing.
I always think of The Silmarillion as "The Bible according to Tolkien". This is meant as a compliment even if it doesn't sound like it.
Merphy you will 100% will not like this lmao. I know for sure.
Christopher Bacon I completely agree. I think the worst thing you can do when starting to read the Silmarillion is think that it will be like Lord of the Rings.
Beren and Luthien is my favorite story too!
I just wish to hear your thoughts on Khaled Hosseini, something either A Thousand splendid suns or The kite runner, I just love his writing and I dont know I really think they are so good and you would really like them!!!
The Kite Runner is amazing
These 2 are the best book. The kite runner is my favourite book of all time.
These videos where you interact with us are really brilliant. Thanks. I've added a lot of books to my read list because of your reviews. Also, The Dragonbone Chair, really all of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn.
I love these types of videos from you so many recommendations and there is always at least one book I have never heard of before!
As long as you’re reading King, I’d recommend The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon. It’s about a young girl who gets lost in the woods alone. I wouldn’t necessarily call it a slow burn, but there is this continually mounting sense of dread throughout the story that’s just great. The protagonist is pretty clever so while she is in peril she never really feels like a victim.
Though as the story goes on, she relies more and more on her only connection to the wider world for comfort, a patchy radio broadcast of a baseball game, and the lines between the fears she’s trying to quell, the day dreaming she’s doing for comfort, and what’s real become very blurry
That one's on my list!
Omg.. I'm surprisingly interested and I'm scared of it 😂
Oh, I'm putting it on my list RIGHT NOW! It's like exactly what I'm searching for right now. A smart protagonist, lost in the woods. Thank you!
You should read 'Going Postal' or pretty much any terry pratchett books. all his books are set in the same genre-busting, and hilarious world.
I love Going Postal. Please don't read Disc World in tge order they are written, the first few are some of the weakest, Guards Guards is good starting point or Equal rights or The Wee Free Men (aimed at middle school aged but still great for adults)
There's also Dodger, a twist on Oliver Twist (sorry, couldn't resist), the Truckers series, which I believe is YA or middle grade, and the Long Earth series, parallel universe sci-fi books he co-authored with Stephen Baxter. Oh, and Good Omens with Neil Gaiman, of course. But his Discworld books will always be my favorite. ☺️
@@timwoodhams217 I started with Sorcery, followed by Equal Rites 👍Definitely agree with you!
I'm so glad you loved the Silmarillion! I read it in my early twenties and got a bit obsessed for a while. So so amazing.
Really glad you’re continuing Ender’s story, Speaker for the Dead is still my favorite book of all time. Some of that may be due to how unique it was at the time I read it, or the feelings I felt at the time, but at the very least it’s probably the book that’s had the most impact on me.
Love it too. It used to be my favorite but memory of light took the cake this year.
Speaker for the Dead completely caught me off guard in the best way possible. For years I had put it off assuming it wouldn't be anything special as a sequel. After looking into it further, turns out it was mostly written before Ender's Game, and it's one of my favorite books of all time. Definitely top 5 Sci-Fi.
I liked Ender's game, but I had issues with the absolute end.
I remember reading Ender's Game in high school and loving it especially the twist at the end. I also loved the plot going on with Ender's broyher and sister. I wanted to read the sequels but never got around to it so maybe I will do that now. Although it has been awhile since I read it so I should probably reread it first. Also I vaguely remember there being giant ants in the book for some reason or maybe I am remembering things wrong?
Am I weird that I’ve always preferred the Ender’s Shadow series? I dunno, Bean as a character was always a little more interesting, and the crazy socio-political drama and intrigue was super cool.
I'm so glad you liked Ender's Game! Speaker for the Dead and Ender's Shadow are also amazing. Honestly, I love all of the Ender/Shadow books, and I hope you continue with them soon!
You didn't talk about "count of monte cristo" though i know you liked it❤️
Yeah I couldn't get through all the books on my list but I loved it!
I read enders game when i was quite young (like 12-14) im suprised i liked it because i remember not understanding much but enjoying it regardless! You reminded me it exists so i may do a reread and continue the series
I really hope you read all of Austen. I love all of her books but of course pride and prejudice is my favorite.
Hi merphy! I've been following the channel for a month or so, and even though our book tastes are a bit different, you've become my favorite booktuber. Your videos have a cozy atmosphere and you always have something relevant to talk about, and I get very excited when a video comes out. I usually don't comment, but your channel is so good, you can't just watch it. Since you are interested in recommendations, and classics ... I have two to recommend. Both were suggested that I read at some point in my life and I gladly accepted... they became my favorite books. One is The Princess Bride (wonderful comedy, with two books in one, basically) and Watership Down (an adventure with rabbits ...)
Idk if you already read them so...
Again, love your channel!
Just finished The Name of the Wind because of this channel. Thanks!
Yayyyy!!! I’m so glad you LOVED Rebecca!! I was one of the people who recommended it to you (probably more than once), its just amazing. Its my fave classic!!
Please read Outlander! You've talked about wanting to read historical fiction, but this is so much more. One of my all-time favorites.
A few of my favorite recommendations:
Written in Red - Anne Bishop, A fresh take on urban fantasy. The characters are super compelling, the MC is a woman who escapes from slavery (when her skin is cut, she gives prophecies, so some shady corporations were trying to make money off of her)
Sabriel - Garth Nix, A YA Dark Fantasy that has a wonderful take on a female necromancer/underworld-guardian. One of the only series where the sequels remain strong.
Kushiel's Dart - Jacqueline Carey, An Adult fantasy, it is fairly explicit. The second trilogy in the series is one of my all time favorites, but to get there you have to start here. The first 20% is somewhat slow and narrative, but man does it pick up.
A SciFi rec: Hyperion by Dan Simmons, it is basically the Canterbury Tales in space. Each story has a unique writing style and characters. Some of them, like the one with Sol, absolutely blew me away (i literally teared up). Unfortunately the first one is the worst- so don't dnf it!
A mystery rec: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie, a bit of a slow build but it is the gold standard for mysteries imo.
Thank you!
And Then There Were None is fantastic.
Saying Kushiel's Legacy is fairly explicit is a big, BIG, understatement.. but man do I love that series!
All the other recs are great, too. I just don't know Anne Bishop yet, so will definitely be picking that up. Thanks! 😁
@@robpaul7544 Lol! Can't disagree. Probably the most explicit 'fantasy' series ive read.
Anne Bishop has a writing style that is just easy to read, especially in The Other's series. The Tir Alainn series is probably worth reading, but its not great. I haven't read the Black Jewel series by her yet.
Hyperion is amazing, I had to stop several time for the tears to dry up. I'm not sure I'd recommend it as an early sf book to read, some of the plots are very accessible to fantasy reader. Probably okay.
I am going to find written in red looks interesting
Hi! I'm new to your channel, I know you've probably been given this rec a million times, but The Stand by King is the best book I've read in a long time. It's not perfect, and it's ridiculously long, but I couldn't recommend it more highly. Your channel is great for someone wanting to delve more heavily into reading, like myself, so thank you for it!
Currently listening to Name of the Wind on audiobook and I am loving it!
I would love to see a video where you do a readers’ advisory interview with a librarian (who are often trained to give recs), and compare those recommended books to the results of your viewer’s recs!
I can't wait for the Peter Pan review!
yeeess Pride and Prejudice 😍
This street definitely goes both ways. I love that we’ve influenced your reading & at least for myself you have definitely influenced which books I’ve started to pick up. A series I would love for you to try is the Keys to the Kingdom series. It’s a YA fantasy series that probably has the most interesting concept I’ve ever heard of. It’s by Garth Nix and has seven books :)
I'm so glad I found your channel, if it wasn't for you I likely wouldn't have dipped my toes into classics 😬. After a couple bad experiences/lack of patience as a kid/teen I had written then off. But MAN. I've read maybe 6(?) or so in the last year and a half and I've been loving them ☺️💕 (and have 8 more on my TBR shelf 😂). And Peter Pan 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼 so great!
I originally wanted to recommend you the Divine Cities Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett, but I think Foundryside, by the same author, is more up your alley (and Brandon Sanderson gave it 5 stars, just saying...). The main protagonist, Sancia Grado, is a thief who has been hired to steal a box from the docks of the Merchant Houses. What she does not know is that it's an object that could revolutionize the magical technology known as scriving (a way mankind have figured out how to imbue everyday objects with sentience) by rewriting the world itself to suit their aims. Sancia is a loner by choice, but as she is forced into this war unknowingly, she might have to learn how to trust people again. And just to name some pros: great world building, ancient mysteries, heart pounding heists, accessable writing style, exploring change, capitalism and how far to go to advance technology.
Oh I have that one on my radar, I need to pick it up!
Oh I second this, its fantastic!!
I don't know why I've thought of this, but you might get a kick out of it!
In Spanish, the term for bookworm is "ratón de biblioteca" which literally translates to "library mouse". That's like a thousand times cuter than bookworm, js
I love this!
Read Thunderhead. It’s been like a year since you read Scythe. Plus, the final book in the series comes out next month.
Cant Wait for the final book!
Yes! So good! I already have The Toll preorder.
Yes that series is so good!
Kalin Schwab I love that series so much!! So hyped for The Toll. Neal Shusterman better not let me down 😰😰
ooh, didn't realise it was that soon, I'm hyped for that.
You should read Riyria Revelations. It is such a fun series, and if you want to listen to it the narrator is utterly fantastic! It was originally self-published as six relatively short books, but Orbit bought it and published it as a trilogy with each “book” divided into two stories. It’s High fantasy but the author deliberately wrote it in common English so the story absolutely flies by. I think you’d really like!!
Not sure if this has ever happened before, but your description of what you dislike about Nevernight has talked me into trying it.
I love the Silmarillion! In particular, the audiobook is amazing. I listen to it to help me fall asleep because the cadence of it feels so ethereal. I've listened to it probably three times this year 😂
HI!! not a recommendation but i started reading mistborn (my first sanderson too haha) because of you and i am LOVING it so much haha
THANK YOUU love your videos
In terms of Ender's Game, my favorite book in that universe so far has been Ender's Shadow. It follows Bean and explores more of the Earth side of things than Ender's arc does. Definitely recommend if you haven't read it yet!
yes. so much yes.
I also agree! :D I love Bean so much and his perspective of the first story :D I mentioned this in a different comment below but I recommend A War of Gifts if you haven't read it yet. Its a short story (novella I guess technically) that happens in battle school with different character POVs and an interesting discussion imo :D
Yes. I prefer Bean's set of books as Sequels to Ender's Game than the Ender books. They deal more with politics on earth immediately afterwards, etc. The Ender books go out into space and really explore more far future
@@beLIEver31415 i've got this coming for my son for Christmas this year
I am surprised by how much you ended up loving The Name of the Wind. I should move it up my TBR together with The Lies of Locke Lamora. 😍😍
Same on silmarilion. I read the beginning like 5 times before I made it through but it become one of my all time favorite books.
I so feel you on The Bear and the Nightingale, people said “if you love Strange the Dreamer you’ll love this one” and uh no. I loved Strange the Dreamer but I almost wanted to die reading The Bear and the Nightingale lol. It was so boring and uneventful, and just weak. The environment was nice but I need a story dammit! Thinking back on it, it was definitely a 2 star read, not 3 stars 😩
I ended up loving Nevernight! But the writing style took like 70 pages for me to get into so I get you!
You are going to LOVE the ending of Royal Assassin when you get back to Farseer. It's a slow build, but so worth it.
My favorite book this year is City of Stairs (Divine Cities Trilogy) by Robert Jackson Bennett, which I see someone else has said Foundryside is better for you. Honestly, I love both. The Divine Cities is fantasy at its core but its bends genre in such a magnificent way, and its twists and turns were epic. Foundryside is also wonderful, and has a magic system loosely based on computer coding.
I too am enjoying The Silmarillion. Though I think parts of it are a bit long-winded and here and there a bit silly, as a whole, I find it to be fascinating. Tolkien had one heck of an imagination and a deep reservoir of knowledge at that. Great video!
Talking about middle books, the second book in the Farseer series Royal Assassin is amazing. It might be one of the best middle books since The Two Towers. Hobb is unparalleled with writing characters, and in this book is where the real story that propels every other story in Hobb's world starts. (For the most part.)
Anyway, I'd definitely recommend Royal Assassin. Also, if you're looking for something new, I was really pleasantly surprised by "Time's Children" by D.B. Jackson, and it was easily the best new fantasy I've read in years.
I've finished Peter Pan and I loved it! I bought it after you recommended it and I was amazed about how different it was to the Disney film. Especially the characters there was so much more characterisation. Peter Pan was so witty to the point of being cocky, which you don't really see in the film. The part I loved the most was the ending, hearing about how the parents suffered after the children left was heartbreaking, which just made the ending so much more rewarding. Thank you for recommending it, I would never have picked it up otherwise and now I have another favourite book.
This makes me so happy ❤️ in so glad you loved it!
"In Desert and Wilderness"- probably my favorite classic. I recall reading it to my dad while I was in middle school. We bought were crying like babes at sertein times. Bougth of the main chracters are extremly likeable and the mixture of plot and atmosphere is perfect for a novel taking place in Africa. It was a little bit heavy on descriptions for an middle grader but now I realy do enjoy them. This is the only young adot book writen by Sienkiewicz, but because of that it is the best way to start reading his books. Because of his metod to writte in the archaic way to imitate the lenguage of the adge his is writting about , his others books can get quit exhounting at times. Maby exept "Lighthouse keeper" it is a realy short novel that I hecomend as well (but it is heavy on references to polish history).
With my knowledge of you liking mest up characters I recomend "Quo vadis" as well but I should warn you that it is historical ficton?... I think
Maby I am biased because Henryk Sienkiewicz is a polish author, and this is my homeland. But I want to see what would you think about it. One worning i have never head it in english so I am not sure if the translation is as good as the original(in tearms of the writting style).
Thank you!
You should try books by Khaled Hosseini. The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.Both these books are great!
YESYESYES these books are fantastic!
A Thousand Splendid Suns is amazing! Make sure you have plenty of tissues. I was lucky enough to watch the play of this story.
I CRIED AND I STILL THINK ABOUT THESE BOOKS
@@joyclendening9908 the kite runner was also. This book made me cry
OH MY GOODNESS! Ender's game is my jam! Speaker for the dead is a great book too. I'm reading xenocide right now. Important though is that speaker for the dead xenocide and Children of the mind are a trilogy on their own and feel very different from Ender's game itself. You'll probably like it but if you want a book that feels more like the OG Ender's Game then I recomend the Ender's Shadow series branch of the Enderverse tree.
I'm so excited to hear how you like Speaker for the dead. The book it kinda like a mystery novel and is one of the few books I can't put down until it's over.
I am seriously buying Peter Pan because you love it so much 🥰
I hope you love it!
Same! :D Can't wait to read it too :D
Hi Murphy! I wanted to recommend the Discovery of Witches trilogy. When I found these books I loved them so much I finished all three in one month! It’s low fantasy and the magic system and how they represent demons and vampires and witches is so unique and not really like anything I’ve ever read before. It’s also so detailed about history and focused on alchemy which adds such an original twist I think. I’d love to hear what you think about it if you read it!
I really think you will love His Dark Materials. It's been adapted into a tv series that will premiere in november. You could watch the trailer to see if you would like to read the book :)
Book of dust series really good to
@@rhyleygrant5660 true! I'd recommend reading HDM first tho
The first book of dust set before dark materials
But be carefull Merphy, it's really anti-religious. Church is portrayed in very bad light there. But if that's okay for you, the story is incredible
@@rhyleygrant5660 true but has some spoilers for hdm. And the second one is after hdm. Id still recommend reading hdm first :)
I’m currently listening to ”The Lionheart brothers” and keep thinking of how much you would love it. A Swedish children’s classic about a fantasy afterlife with adventure, betrayal, courage, tyranny and strong brotherly love. I think your son would love it in a year or two as well.
I believe he would. When I was in the first grades of elementary school, my mother would read it to me and I liked it back then. I reread it now, over 10 years later and still it's quite amazing. Astrid Lindgren has written so many children's stories that are all classics now and essential part of everyone's childhood if you grew up in the Nordic countries.
@@TheLeafiniwa my mom tried to read it to me but couldn't get past the beginning without crying 😂😂😂
So I read it myself, cried even more than she did and I still can't read it without crying
If you can fit it in, I would love to hear your thoughts on the Elfstones of Shannara! It is the second book of a trilogy, but I think its a much better starting point for someone new to the series.
Still patiently waiting for you to pick up The Child Thief by Brom. I found it retold the classic in such a unique way and it’s always a book I recommend people pick up to try. With your love of Peter Pan I really would like for you to do a dedicated review. As always I love all your content 💜
Ender's Game is my favorite book of all time. I've read it like 4-5 times. So glad you liked it!
I loved it so much too :D Have you ever read the short story A War of Gifts? It takes place in battle school from different character POV with a different story but I think it is so good and at just 100 small pages so quick and beautiful to me :) I still think about the ending of Ender's Game all the time and buy a copy of Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow and A War of Gifts as a present for everyone one I meet that says they like books hahaha :)
@@beLIEver31415 I have never read A War of Gifts but it sounds amazing. Is it separately published or in a short story collection? I actually just finished Ender's Shadow this year and quite liked the story from Bean's perspective.
@@davids2735 It is published separately :D There are great quality used copies on thriftbooks.com right now for like $4 :D (just had to restock for future gifts myself haha) I sent a copy to Merphy and hope she loves it and does a quick comment or review of it sometime. It's a Christmas time story (extra meta with the title which you may appreciate on the many ways the word "gifts" applies) and the first time I read it was accidentally right before Christmas and that made me love it even more :D
@@beLIEver31415 Just ordered it. I love thriftbooks! Thank you so much!
Dune is by far my favorite novel of all time but a lot of people I've recommended it to have bounced off of. It's a novel that I've enjoyed with multiple readings (even if I loved it from the start) and I take something new from it each time so hopefully you find something to grab onto with a re-read.
I haven't read Ender in Exile (that was published later as to bridge the gap between Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead) but Speaker for the Dead is a VERY different kind of novel to Ender's Game that a lot of Ender's Game fans didn't care for as much. If you like Ender's Game, I recommend Ender's Shadow as a follow-up as it is more in line with the style of Ender's Game and tells the same story from a different perspective. Plus, Bean is the best character in the franchise. I think OSC is a horrible human being for a multitude of reasons and it's created a complex relationship with the books for me but Ender's Game is always on my recommend list (just pick it up used so you don't line OSCs pockets).
I really don’t know if this series was recommended to you, or even if you are going to like it (i’m terrible at selling books), but I really recommend The Mirror Visitor. The fourth and final book is releasing this November, and I can’t wait to read it. This series is absolutely incredible. The whole story is so well thought out, the main character is strong in her own way, there isn’t an ounce of insta love, and there isn’t a single paragraph of info dumping. The whole world it’s set in is full of mysteries, but not in a boring, annoying way. It has this magical feeling to it that makes it intriguing and I love it soooo much. Ugh. Sorry for the rant. Oh, and the covers are beautiful.
Hey Merphy! I think you would enjoy the Immortals Quartet or the Protector of the Small Quartet by Tamora Pierce (medieval fantasy). Oh, there's also the Beka Cooper Trilogy and Trickster's Duology (fantasy with a bit of mystery).
Merphy, have you read A Man Called Ove by Frederick Backman?
That was the book that popped in my mind when you talked about The Bear and The Nightingale about the promise of a plot but there's just someone who pops in and out that reminds you of it until the end. I know it sounds bad but for this one the ending really pays off!! It was slow and more focused on the characters but it's a lovely lovely story. Curious to know your thoughts! 🥰 I definitely recommend
I tried reading the Simirillion and I couldn’t get past the beginning of it either. Maybe I need to try again and get further.
My recommendation that I have been really enjoying are the Percy Jacksons and Heroes of Olympus but I remember you said you didn’t care for them (although I spot The Lost Hero on your shelf 😉).
Want a good classic its Richard Adam’s Watership Down. Its about rabbits, but its a good adventure story about finding a home, societies, friendships... its so good. Be curious to see what you think.
Yeah, it was the same with me for Dune. Didn’t know how to approach it the first time, but I read it again more recently, and it’s honestly one of my favorite sci-fi books. I need to read the rest of the Frank Herbert Dune books, I’ve heard great things.
Omg love enders game. Read enders shadow for a wonderful followup. Dune series is epic and awesome philosophical sci-fi. Good luck!
I'd really like to see what your opinion on S. K. Tremaynes "The icy twins" would be. It's quite slow, but I loved it!
Yes! Assassin's Apprentice was a love/hate book for me. I ranted so much while reading it. On one hand, it keeps you interested until the end. On the other, god, it's so slow-paced.
I really think you'd like the Bartimaeus trilogy! It's an incredibly funny middle grade series. The world is extremely corrupt (for a middle grade novel) and I loved seeing how this affected the main character, he kind of reminds me of Draco Malfoy. I also think you'll love the way the trilogy wraps up, I still think about the ending, it's perfect.
Yes! I loved that trilogy.
Someone else recommended "Something wicked this way comes" by Ray Bradbury and it is one of my favorite books, so I definitely second that one. I love the atmosphere he creates. I know every one reads Fahrenheit 451 which is good. The ideas in it were phenomenal but not as great a read as "Wicked" or the "Martian Chronicles"
I also know you liked Neil Gaiman so I was going to recommend "American Gods" (I don't think you've read it, but sorry if I'm wrong.
And lastly one of my other favorite writers is Ursula K Le Guin. For Fantasy her most famous is her Earthsea series and for Science fiction, I would recommend "The Left Hand of Darkness", which has one of the most unique takes on an alien civilization and gender. I finally caught up on all your videos and now I have to wait like everyone else for new ones. Life is hard somethimes.
It took me a few times through the Silmarillion to realize that the Quenta Silmarillion, from the waking of the elves to the destruction of Beleriand is one sustained story, and each individual story builds on what came before and pushes the larger narrative forward. When you understand the map and the various political camps (primarily Thingol, the sons of Feanor, and Fingon), you will see how unified the story is. Glad you enjoyed it!
You’re just so wholesome 😊
I think if you would like to read more hard sci-fi, and really feel it maybe try Hyperion. It has a really interesting and enjoyable structure and plot, I loved the writing style, which is absolutely unique - it is built up like The Canterbury tales, and! It has become one of my favourite books. And I am newbie to sci fi as well. Maybe 😊
So many of the ones I would have recommended are on here... But my #1 is probably still Till We Have Faces. C.S. Lewis can be a slog (fight me), but this book was so important to me. I never know how I'm going to feel about re-tellings of classic stories, but I love Greek/Roman mythology so much, and this book just struck a different chord for me. It impacted how I saw things in a very unique way, moreso than anything else I've read, I think.
I reccomend you "Salem's lot" by King... it's a slow burn and it's about vampires but when shit hits fan... it hits hard.
I would recommend Lev Grossman's The Magicians. It's the first in a trilogy of contemporary fantasy novels aimed at adults and has been likened to "Harry Potter for adults", a tag line which is unavoidable given that the first book takes place at a secret university for magically adept students. It's very heavy on themes of mental illness and escapism.
Bonus point: There's a Narnia-esque magical world in the books where the air is 0.02% opium.
That sounds perfect!
I didn't really like this series until after I finished the last one. Once I could see the entire trilogy in context, I realized it was genius
eww, i hated those books
Lol I was loving the book until the whole new Narnia world happened and I dnfed it.....
The most accurate description of the book I read was "Ugly book about ugly people."
I’m going to recommend Quest for a Maid by Frances Mary Hendry. It is historical fiction with a touch of fantasy elements. It’s a fairly quick read if you are wanting to branch more into that genre. The Scottish dialect is pretty fun to read too.
If you are interested in any detective murder mysteries, I would suggest the Wells and Wong Murder Mystery series by Robin Stevens. It is a middle grade series and the two main characters are very Sherlock(Daisy Wells) and Watson(Hazel Wong) like. Hazel even tells the story through her casebook journal and it is from her point of view. It takes place in the 1930s I believe and the girls start out as13 and their first case is at their boarding school. I also like the character growth that both girls start to have throughout the books and hopefully they grow more since I have only read the first 3 books so far.
I'm curious what you'd make of the Lorien Legacies series by Pittacus Lore, starting with I Am Number Four. It's a YA low-fantasy/sci-fi. I'm starting a re-read of the series myself and while it's clearly not amazing, I still find it very enjoyable. Book 1 I think actually does a pretty bad job of representing the series, since it's the only one that focuses on a single character POV and there's a fair amount of a teen insta-love arc that doesn't play as prominently in the rest of the series. I know recommending a book and saying it's not amazing at the same time is weird, but I'm mostly curious about your opinion of it.
I'm new to your channel so I didn't know you took recommendations.
There is a book that is being left in obscurity at this point called The Book of Aida from someone named Annabelle Darling.
The book is interesting because it's different than anything else I've read.
It's the first book of a series and I think the only book from Annabelle so far.
This one is all about a girl named Aida who is from Ireland but from a long time ago.
A lot of bad things happen to her and from what I understand is supposed to have depression but it's never said because she is from so long ago.
It doesn't see to have much of a plot at all or even a villain which is weird but works for some reason.
I really want to read Peter Pan glad to hear a good review.
The one before NeverNight with the cat looks and sounds good.
Hey, Merphy! I've got a great recommendation that's been one of my faves for a long time. "My Name Is Memory" by Ann Brashares...it's half historical fiction and half reincarnation story. I dunno how you feel about past lives and stuff like that, but I'm tellin ya...this book grabs you from the word go! I can't get into more without spoilers, just know that it's a great tale about how two people can follow each other through many lives because they're meant to be together. Pick it up! You're gonna love it! *high five*
Dune can be really divisive. Some might look at it and think, 'chosen one' narrative we've seen a million times, but it's not, and the events behind that illusion, and what Frank Herbert was saying about blindly following and absolute rulers was pretty sinister and important. Be it the Emperor or Paul himself (and what was to come in the sequels with the Golden Path).Great to hear you talk about classics and other books maybe more outside what we usually see. Austen and De Maurier are great. I'd love to hear your opinion on the Bronte sisters, and maybe someone like Colette. Great video.
I am a big Robin Hobb fan, but it was the third book in the Farseer Trilogy, that really hooked me and made me realize what a genius she is (not book 1 and 2, although I liked them). I would fenititely recommend to read at least the first trilogy! :-)
You have a great sense of humor
Thank you!
For a quick classic read that is difficult to categorize, please try “The Man Who Was Thursday” by G.K Chesterton. He uses the English language in such unexpected ways, and the storyline is so compelling! I picked it up completely by accident and it became my favorite book.
I highly recommend Mercedes Lackey's "Obsidan" Trilogy, which starts with The Outstretched Shadow" - High Fantasy and it has both hard and soft magic systems! Elves, dragons, mages, demons, too! Her world-building is awesome and the story is engrossing and the characters grow... and there are consequences to war!
Merphyyyyyy, I think you would really really like the manga/anime: Attack on Titan.
The story is SO GOOD and SO mysterious. It has a level of world building similar to ATLA and such great character arcs, and I also really wanted to hear your opinion on the story of AOT
OMG, I talk about books with my dad too. He loves Dune and wants me to read it, and I got him to like Stormlight. He’s the one who introduced me to Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. He read to me until halfway through eighth grade when we finished Lord of the Rings.
You should read The neverending story by Michael Ende, especially since you love peter pan. It’s a standalone fantasy classic, and this book is about a boy who is bullied and he finds a book about this magical world that is in danger and gets really absorbed into the story and become a part of the adventure. This story is so beautiful and powerful and, in my opinion, it sends an important message, not to mention that the physical book is gorgeous.
I also recommend Momo by Michael Ende since it’s also a beautiful story with powerful message, and His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, another one of my all- time favorites.
A book series you might enjoy is the Skulduggery Pleasant series, it is rather comedic, and has a sort of vibe similar to the Harry Potter’s of how it grows up with the reader. If you pick up the first one and like it I think, you would like the others because, it just gets better from the starting point.
May I recommend The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud? I don't know if you've heard about it, because it's quite an unknown series, but me and my brother absolutely love it! It's set in a parallel world, where Britain is ruled by magicians, but the magicians don't have abilities of their own, they control djini who do. We follow a young boy called Nathaniel, who gets sold by his parents to become the apprentice of Arthur Underwood - a magician in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. After being humiliated by a another government worker and his master not standing up for him, Nathaniel vows revenge and summons the djini Bartimaeus. That is essentially the kick-off, but the plot reveals itself to be very complex and interesting. The worldbuilding is fantastic. The characters are very well developed. In conclusion, a very good book!
+1. And this is a series where the footnotes are great too.
Christine is a good book to read and so is Doctor Sleep, both better than their respective films. I love lots of different horror authors , some are better than King. Really good video!
I know you've started reading Asimov so I'm going to recommend some other classic sci-fi authors. Not expecting you to read all (or maybe not even any) but am using the shotgun approach:
Asimov: Not attached to the Foundation universe but IMHGO his best book: The Gods Themselves. It's about a radical and mysterious new energy source that, without spoiling I'll just say is more than it seems to be.
Heinlein: Starship Trooper, significantly different from the movie. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, about life and rebellion on the Moon which is being used as a prison colony. Stranger In A Strange Land which is often referred to as Heinlein's "hippie book" about a young man, raised by Martians who is brought back to Earth. All explore cultural and political ideas and each is different in outlook from the others. He also wrote what nowadays would be called YA books. All the ones I've read are good but will particularly recommend Podkayne of Mars even though I found the ending disappointing.
Bradbury: Something Wicked This Way Comes, which is actually fantasy/horror but still worth reading, about a dark circus that comes to a small town. The Martian Chronicles. The story of the colonization of Mars, written in an episodic fashion.
Clarke: 2001: A Space Oddesy. Really the only way to make any sense of the ending of the movie. 2010 is also worth reading, the other sequel, notsomuch. Rendezvous With Rama. A mysterious asteroid enters the solar system and turns out to be a huge and abandoned space vessel. Again, can't really recommend the sequels. They're not bad but not that great either. Childhood's End. Mysterious and apparently benevolent aliens come to Earth and transform it into an apparent utopia. But do they have an agenda of their own beyond mere benevolence?
Thank you so much!
I love the moon is a harsh mistress. On my very favorites list
In addition to reading the enders quintet (you can probably skip Ender in exile, that one was added later) you should also read the shadow series which is from Been's perspective
As well you should try the homecoming saga also by Orson Scott Card
If you want to get into SF, a great place to start is Leviathan's Wake by James S.A. Corey. Fantastic, fast-moving but character-based space opera. If you want an excellent SF classic, try The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. Really a mix of different SF sub-genres, so very readable.
Bryan Baker the expanse is a phenomenal series, it’s just so damn readable, which not all Sci-fi is
And Forever War is really, truly, extraordinary storytelling...
I highly recommend The Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley. It’s about a six adoptive sisters (yes that’s six, not seven!) who were adopted by a man they called Pa Salt. He adopted them from all over the world and named them all after a constellation called The Pleiades (also known as The Seven Sisters). The story starts with Pa Salt’s death and how he leaves each of his daughters a clue that will help them to find where they originally came from, if they want to. Each book focuses on a different sister, her story and how she came to be adopted by Pa Salt. The sixth book is due to be published at the end of this month, I can’t wait for it!
For sci fi I have two recommendations.
Kim Stanley Robinson. Mars series. Red, Green, and Blue Mars. It starts off with the first 100 colonists going ot Mars and terraforming. It has themes of environment, and how societies work in them. It's a theme in all of Robinson's books.
Aurora, story about a colony ship going to another star.
William Gibson. Nuromancer, and the sprawl series.
One of the pillars that made the Cyberpunk genre.
Historical fiction.
Patrick O'Brian's Jack Aubrey, and Doctor Maturin series.
This series is about a Royal Navy Captain and Surgeon during the Napoleonic wars.
The first book is titled Master and Commander.
I think you might like Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder! :) Great world, magic system too :)
Hey Merphy. I haven't been around as long as many and we probably don't have as similar tastes as a lot of people you've met over the years. I'm still going to recommend my favorite book of all time which is Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. In case you ever find an interest in reading this, I'll tell you it's a character-driven-plot driven story...which is a little weird. Yes, the story focuses a lot on the characters but it's certainly not a deep dive into their psyche (I know you're more of a plot driven story). Instead, the story revolves around how these people are connected in a wonderful way and it's just so amazing when it clicks. I'd say it falls into sci-fi but not entirely. Hope you eventually read it :)
I had a similar reaction to Dune as you did - kind of the same way many people find LoTR too boring or obtuse or impenetrable. I might go back and reread it someday, but as you often say, there are so many other books I am more excited about!
Some of my recs that I haven't seen anyone mention here before:
The City of Golden Shadow (Otherland series) by Tad Williams - a near-future scifi set in South Africa and in a plethora of virtual worlds. It's about the nature of reality, the nature of religion, the way humans perceive things, the nuances of the human psyche, all wrapped in a shell of epic science fiction with romance, adventure, and overtones of fantasy.
The Curse of the Mistwraith (Wars of Light and Shadow series) by Janny Wurts - You say you like rich, complex magic systems? Epic high fantasy? Deeply flawed main characters? Then give this one a try!
Hades' Daughter (Troy Game series) by Sara Douglass - A story that starts in Greek mythology and...well, I can't describe it better than the goodreads blurb! www.goodreads.com/book/show/232033.Hades_Daughter
Reading Traitor’s Blade from Sabastien De Castell. Loving it so far! Three Musketeers vibes!! 😊
I loved Rebecca so much too! The themes of obsession were really well executed in my opinion and I don’t find this in many books I read. The characters are so realistic too because of their flaws and mannerisms. Do you have any similar recommendations?
Speaker for the Dead completely caught me off guard in the best way possible. For years I had put it off assuming it wouldn't be anything special as a sequel. After looking into it further, turns out it was mostly written before Ender's Game, and it's one of my favorite books of all time. Definitely top 5 Sci-Fi.
I've recommended this one before, but I feel so strongly about this one I'm going to suggest it again: *Pandora's* *Star* by Peter F Hamilton. It is Science Fiction (Space Opera) but it isn't the sort of SF that focuses on the how and why of the science. You could actually think of all of the technological gadgets and devices as if they were ter'angreal from *The* *Wheel* *of* *Time* series if you wanted and just assume they worked on magic and it wouldn't change a thing.
The book, and its sequel *Judas* *Unchained* , has multiple plotlines running concurrently, each with its own feel, and even almost its own genre (one is very much a detective story starting out investigating a murder and then tracking down a wanted terrorist). There are beautiful vistas and one incredible aerial scene involving a glider that would be total amazeballs(!!) if ever put on screen. There is political intrigue, conspiracies, alien invasion and an epic chase. There's a touch of romance, but not much.
BTW, I totally dig the fact that you loved *The* *Silmarillion* , as so few people do. Personally, I do as well, having read it three times in the first 30 years of my life (haven't touched any Tolkien in 15 years).
Peter Hamilton has great ideas but needs a fierce editor who will cut atleast half of each book out. Well worth it for audiobook on a long drive.
I *prefer* long novels (and series). I rarely even crack open a book that is less than 600 pages long. And after having read *PS* and *JU* three times each, I can't think of any of it that could have been cut (and I have put some thought into it the second two times I read it).
Thing is, each book is essentially two or three (or more) books put together; those various story lines I spoke about, those are the various different novels embedded within the larger works. It is all essential to the story. The only other option is splitting these two books into smaller books, but that doesn't work for me, either, makes it all feel artificially divided.
Might as well say that Allen & Unwin should have published each of the Books within *Fellowship* *of* *the* *Ring* and the other two *LotR* books as separate novels. Actually, this would have made much more sense than cutting, or separating up, most of Hamilton's longer books (including the *Night's* *Dawn* trilogy), as Tolkien had already separated them within the text. Hamilton's narrative is interwoven within the text, going back and forth until eventually certain (no spoilers) characters meet up.
You might well be right with PS and JU its been a while since I've read them but there is a 100+ page section in the 2nd? Night dawn book which is about new characters, they die at the end and no one in the rest of books ever finds out. They don't advance the plot and serve no literary purpose I can see.
Again I like his work, and I often seek him out for road trips. He isn't only author that needs more aggressive editing it often seems in most cases with becoming famous.
Since no one has mentioned it, you might enjoy Bobiverse. There are 3 books. It's about a A.I. who gets some kind of personality quirk each time it is cloned! Such a fun and quick read. Daniel has a "why you should read" video on it.
Also Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It's the best weird humor that there is! There is a part explaining what happened when the elevators became sentient and how they revolted. That's how weird it is.
There's a new Robert Jordan called warrior of the altaii it was the first book he ever wrote but didn't get published it's good so far
Make sure you read Robin Hobb in publication order. They reference each other and you will get the most out of it that way. It’s a great series when you get into it.
An older series that sticks in my mind is the Rose of the Prophet by Margret Weis and Tracy Hickman. First book is titled The Will of the Wanderer. The interaction of the Gods has stuck in my memory as a great way to portray gods talking to each other. I really liked it.
Frank Herbert can be a chore for readers not used to his writing style, but once you get used/acclimated to it.. it’s the greatest. I reread the entire series every few years. Also A Farewell To Arms by Ernest Hemingway is an all time favorite.