Book recommendations?

[Geobubbles]

Would you lovely people like to recommend some books for me? Preferably books that are a bit messed up with controversial subjects, unexpected plot twists or even just incredibly sad and moving books 🙂

 

[Foxy]

Remains of the day. One of the most heart wrenching and beautiful books I have ever read.

1984 for dystopian or handmaid's tale if you want it more about gender.

 

[November]

Have you read Jessica by Bryce Cortenay?. It was a fave of mine years back. Ive read most of his books. April Fools Day, is a well known story by him, but i didnt enjoy it as much as his story telling. It is true story of his sons life and death with AIDS. Tommo and hawk, prequels to the potato factory are also worth reading for a step back in australian time.

I havent unpacked my bookcase yet. I am currently trying to read a john marsden book. I enjoy the aussie touch

 

[Blaze]

It's not a rec book thread without me recommending "The Traitor Baru Cormorant". I'd say it deals with some controversial issues, and definitely has its share of twists and heartbreak.

Something a bit different that you might enjoy is "Confessions" by Kanae Minato. It's definitely a bit messed up and full of plot twists, and it's a short read.

 

[thrasherpix]

White Oleander (and I do mean the book rather than the movie) explores a lot of controversial subjects (such as a high ranking prostitute that a foster child admires while living with a racist foster family, her pot smoking and underage drinking, her stealing the boyfriends of her foster mothers, not that I decide she's at fault there as many others do). It has some plot twists (less so if you've seen the movie, but still plenty), and it gets extremely sad and moving at times, and I was at awe at some of the poetic prose. Her acid trip was brilliant, and the scene of a kid giving birth and the girl's thoughts on it was both sad and deeply disturbing. And these are mostly minor aspects of it (usually lasting no more than a chapter at most).

If you want something a bit more scifi or horror, the first book coming to mind is Hosts A caveat is it's part of a series, but as best as I recall this one can stand alone. The summary there sums it up better than I can:

Repairman Jack has been tearing up the urban adventure scene ever since he was introduced in the New York Times bestseller The Tomb. As his fans know, Repairman Jack doesn't deal with electronic appliances; he's a situation fixer, no matter how weird or deadly a situation may be. Repairman Jack has no last name, no Social Security number, and no qualms when it comes to getting the job done-even if it means putting himself in serious danger.

After fifteen years of separation, Jack is contacted by his long-lost sister, Kate, to help her track down the source of her girlfriend Jeanette's sudden trance-like behavior. Referred by a mysterious stranger who gives only Jack's name and phone number, Kate is shocked to find out that the "repairman" she seeks is none other than her little brother-and not altogether happy to find out what little "Jackie" has been doing with himself for all these years. With Jack leading the way, Kate finds out that Jeannette's behavior can be traced back to the experimental therapy she underwent for a brain tumor: now Jeannette's brain and those of several other subjects are infected by a mutated virus. Like any good virus, it wants to multiply-and if Jack can't stop the virus in its path, there will be deadly results.

Meanwhile, Jack is traveling on the 9 train when suddenly a passenger goes berserk and starts shooting at random-leaving Jack no choice but to throw himself into the spotlight by putting the shooter down. Worse for Jack, one of his fellow passengers is a reporter for the local tabloid, The Light, who sees Jack's heroism as his ticket to journalistic stardom. The reporter promises to make Jack a celebrity hero, a household name-which could mean the end of Repairman Jack as we know him

And offhand, there's The Jehovah Contract I don't recall this one being particularly sad, though it has a lot of sad stuff in it, from the protagonist dying from bone cancer caused by the radiation from the gang wars, and ends up in an exotic bunch, including an underaged telepathic hooker, to kill God (whom he doesn't even believe in) while various religious leaders try to stop him. It's written in the style of hardboiled detective fiction (save the "detective" is technically an assassin) in a dystopian future (though not cyberpunk). If you want to read something messed up and controversial then that's for you, and the method in which he finally does confront God is creative enough.

 

[Anyanka Bunny Slayer]

The books (non sci-fi) that I've enjoyed the MOST are:

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

I, Jan Cremer by Jan Cremer

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami

The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass

Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

I highly recommend all of them. 🙂

 

[Geobubbles]

The books (non sci-fi) that I've enjoyed the MOST are:

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

I, Jan Cremer by Jan Cremer

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami

The Tin Drum by Gunter Grass

Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

I highly recommend all of them. 🙂

Absolutely hooked on the summaries of all of these! I don't know which one to order first haha. It seems like you have amazing taste :3

 

[GwenRaiden]

The two books I always go back to and recommended to others are Girlfriend in a Coma by Douglas Coupland and Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami.

 

[Anyanka Bunny Slayer]

Absolutely hooked on the summaries of all of these! I don't know which one to order first haha. It seems like you have amazing taste :3

I read a lot...books are SO much better than films. If the internet and/or cable companies disappeared, I wouldn't care that much.

Try The Tin Drum and I, Jan Cremer first. They're brilliant.

 

[pixiedreams]

I would definitely recommend, 'To Kill A Mockingbird.' By Harper Lee. To summarise it simply, a black man is accused of the rape of a white girl. The novel deals with race prejudice and inequality. It's one of my favourite novels, so if you do have the chance to read it, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did 🙂

 

[Geobubbles]

I would definitely recommend, 'To Kill A Mockingbird.' By Harper Lee. To summarise it simply, a black man is accused of the rape of a white girl. The novel deals with race prejudice and inequality. It's one of my favourite novels, so if you do have the chance to read it, I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did 🙂

I have heard about this book many times better never known what it was actually about! Definitely going to add this to my good reads list, and I saw that a second book just came out recently as well? 🙂

 

[pixiedreams]

I have heard about this book many times better never known what it was actually about! Definitely going to add this to my good reads list, and I saw that a second book just came out recently as well? 🙂

A sequel? Oh my, I wasn't aware of this! That's brillant. Do you know much of what it's about? I can't wait to read it 🙂

 

[Geobubbles]

A sequel? Oh my, I wasn't aware of this! That's brillant. Do you know much of what it's about? I can't wait to read it 🙂

I only know that it's called Go Set a Watchman and that it was on the best seller list at my local bookstore, but I didn't want to read it until I had read the first haha 🙂
Speaking of classics, any chance you've read Of Mice and Men? I have been wanting to read it for awhile but I'm unsure

 

[pixiedreams]

I only know that it's called Go Set a Watchman and that it was on the best seller list at my local bookstore, but I didn't want to read it until I had read the first haha 🙂
Speaking of classics, any chance you've read Of Mice and Men? I have been wanting to read it for awhile but I'm unsure

I've read 'Of Mice and Men' too! Personally, I enjoyed the dynamic between the two protagonists Lenny and George and I think you will too! Lenny's character is very adorable, however as you read on you'll see it's more complex than that ~ Definitely do read it if you have the chance 🙂

 

[Fuffy Baith]

Speaking of classics, any chance you've read Of Mice and Men? I have been wanting to read it for awhile but I'm unsure

I love Of Mice and Men, definitely read it! And it's a short book too. Won't take long.

 

[Taake]

Just read (or actually listened to the audiobook) In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, very chilling.
Tess of the D'urbervilles by Thomas Hardy if you like classics, questions the double standards of sexual behavior in the late 1800's.
The perks of being a wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

Would also recommend Valley of the Dolls, a true classic!

White Oleander (and I do mean the book rather than the movie) explores a lot of controversial subjects (such as a high ranking prostitute that a foster child admires while living with a racist foster family, her pot smoking and underage drinking, her stealing the boyfriends of her foster mothers, not that I decide she's at fault there as many others do). It has some plot twists (less so if you've seen the movie, but still plenty), and it gets extremely sad and moving at times, and I was at awe at some of the poetic prose. Her acid trip was brilliant, and the scene of a kid giving birth and the girl's thoughts on it was both sad and deeply disturbing. And these are mostly minor aspects of it (usually lasting no more than a chapter at most).

White Oleander is amazing, I love this book!

 

[pixiedreams]

I just got recommended to read this book called 'A Walk To Remember' written by Nicholas Sparks from a friend of mine. It's romance and I'm currently on the second chapter. I have to say, it's amazing. It's not such a long book either, I just heard it's really sad.

 

[Fuffy Baith]

I just got recommended to read this book called 'A Walk To Remember' written by Nicholas Sparks from a friend of mine. It's romance and I'm currently on the second chapter. I have to say, it's amazing. It's not such a long book either, I just heard it's really sad.

I have that book, I read it when i was a teenager because I loved the movie. Very different, but the book is good, and the only Nicholas Sparks book I've read. It's a sweet and sad romance story.

 

[Foxy]

A sequel? Oh my, I wasn't aware of this! That's brillant. Do you know much of what it's about? I can't wait to read it 🙂

If you read the second book, please consider them as two entirely different stories as they have nothing in common really. The stories are vastly different as it is the first draft of To Kill a Mockingbird. I think To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the best books I have ever read and to Go Set a Watchman is great as well, but nowhere near the sheer epicness of the other book.
 
If you want something historical and a must read. Then read Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. I am currently re-reading the original (in Dutch) with all of the diary entries. There are three different versions in total. I am reading the unedited version.

 

[pixiedreams]

If you read the second book, please consider them as two entirely different stories as they have nothing in common really. The stories are vastly different as it is the first draft of To Kill a Mockingbird. I think To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the best books I have ever read and to Go Set a Watchman is great as well, but nowhere near the sheer epicness of the other book.
 
If you want something historical and a must read. Then read Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. I am currently re-reading the original (in Dutch) with all of the diary entries. There are three different versions in total. I am reading the unedited version.

Same here, TKAMB is one of the best books I've read ^^ Are you reading Diary Of a Young Girl online? If so, would you please send a link? I remember reading something similar to this, but I don't think it was the original.