I want to read something amazing

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'd classify it as SF because of its post apocalyptic setting, just as I would Neville Shute's "On the Beach".

I would not classify On the Beach as SF. No way. It is just fiction.

[JSWolf]

I know this is SF and I know you said not to suggest SF, but I am going to anyway.

I've read the first two books in the Hyperion series by Dan Simmons.

1. Hyperion
2. The Fall of Hyperion
3. Endymion
4. The Rise of Endymion

They are very good. Well worth reading SF for.

[curtw]

Originally Posted by wvcherrybomb

Looking for some amazing reads, any suggestions?

Please NO sci-fi or fantasy.

Thanks in advance.

You know, it's funny. Almost everyone here is naming works of fiction, and outside of sci-fi and fantasy, I can't think of anything truly amazing (and yes, I have read most of what's been mentioned here, including 11/22/63).

So, that being said, I am still amazed by human folly. Here's some non-fiction with memorable examples:

• Maus, by Art Spiegelman (unfortunately, not sold in a portable e-version)

• Into Thin Air, by John Krakauer

• Frozen in Time: The Fate of the Franklin Expedition, by Owen Beattie (likewise, I haven't seen an e-edition)

[Bookpossum]

Do you enjoy historical fiction? I recently read "A Place of Greater Safety" by Hilary Mantel, set before and during the French Revolution, and concerning itself with the lives of Danton, Robespierre and Desmoulins.

I was dazzled by it. She's a brilliant writer, not only of historical fiction.

[victw]

I just finished Doubt: A Parable by John Patrick Shanley.

I read it for a book discussion group - it was the first thing I read on my ereader.

Lots of food for thought. It read well as a play - and the play is more impressive than the movie.

Vic

[sdawson]

Its fantasy but I "borrowed" thru Amazon Prime "The Hunger Games" a few days ago and then stayed up all night reading it because I couldn't put it down. Fantasy, but believable when you think of what people do each other daily. It's another post apocalyptic story. I'll probably pay for the sequels to see what happens.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by curtw

You know, it's funny. Almost everyone here is naming works of fiction, and outside of sci-fi and fantasy, I can't think of anything truly amazing (and yes, I have read most of what's been mentioned here, including 11/22/63).

One of the most amazing books I've read in the last few years has been Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth". At first glance, a book about the building of a cathedral may not sound very interesting, but it's an absolutely engrossing book. I recommend it thoroughly.

[curtw]

Originally Posted by HarryT

One of the most amazing books I've read in the last few years has been Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth". At first glance, a book about the building of a cathedral may not sound very interesting, but it's an absolutely engrossing book. I recommend it thoroughly.

I agree. That is a very good book. I'm still on the fence about picking up the sequel, which is why I guess I didn't consider myself amazed...

[kacir]

Originally Posted by HarryT

One of the most amazing books I've read in the last few years has been Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth".

Have a look at
Sarum: The Novel of England
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12456285-sarum

[Desvelada71]

I just finished reading The Woman in Black: A Ghost Story by Susan Hill and I found it to be one of the best stories I have ever read. I am not impressed easily for I have read so many stories but this one is one for the books (pun intended!).

[rakulos]

Have you looked through the Harvard Classics at all? They aren't to every-ones taste but you can get most of them free via Gutenberg.
It's an incredibly diverse mixture of works, politics, history, epic verse and straight fiction - something for everyone

[ametzler]

Originally Posted by HarryT

One of the most amazing books I've read in the last few years has been Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth". At first glance, a book about the building of a cathedral may not sound very interesting, but it's an absolutely engrossing book. I recommend it thoroughly.

It was completely forgettable to me. It was a nice read (very good for a long a train journey) but I could not care a lot for the characters. The novel is completely plot driven, I wanted to know how it continued, but it it was lifeless.

To add something useful for the thread starter: Master & Commander by Patrick O'Brian. I have yet to find something else that combines interesting characters, really amazing action and historical accurracy as well.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by ametzler

It was completely forgettable to me. It was a nice read (very good for a long a train journey) but I could not care a lot for the characters. The novel is completely plot driven, I wanted to know how it continued, but it it was lifeless.
...

Yep, I got about a third of the way in and have tabled it....just didn't hold my interest, though it was well written and I could see others be very interested in it.

[elemenoP]

I think the most amazing book I read over the last 10 or so years, was Life of Pi.

eP

[kennyc]

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