*cracks the whip*

[nilchance]

Except, you know, not really.

So I'm doing that 'read 50 books in a year' project, starting yesterday. I'm looking for something to read, and I'd love some recommendations. Fiction, non-fiction, heavy reading, summer beach fare, whatever, just give me something to pick up and devour. Even if I don't end up reading it, I'm a recovering bookseller; I love to see what other people are reading.

Comments

[caoilin-noir.livejournal.com]

hmmm...

Feels like poetic justice - am over here reading your of bastard saints series (only on chapter 2 but intriguing & well written thus far...) - and you're asking for book recs.

The Once and Future King by T H White is a bit of a cult classic, a retelling of the Arthurian legends. White is a contemporary of Tolkein and had a similar academic background and I have always felt that this book was written partial as a response to the hype over Tolkein's reworking on myth and legend.

That said, it's not satirical or bitter, just a wry look at society through the lens of mythology and despite being over 50 years old its perception and impact is just as fresh as it ever used to be - people, after all, don't change though the technology might. It's a good story too, and in a very readable style.

Other recommendations would be The Count of Monte Christo by Andre Dumas - forget the movies - this is an epic that is so finely plotted it's amazing that one writer could hold it all in his head. And if you like Dumas, there are of course the series of 5 D'Artagnan romances beginning with The Three Musketeers and ending with The man in the Iron Mask (the middle 3 are harder to come by)

I think those are my all time two favourite books though, closely followed by Naomi Novic's Temeraire (or His Majesty's Dragon in the US I think) for a bit of lighter fantasty!

Enjoy