Hey Veeky Forums!

Hey Veeky Forums!
I'll start off by saying that I've never been a great reader, and I can count on one hand the books I've read this year. However, and this brings me to the point of the thread, I'm looking to change that. I figured I'd tell you guys my 3 favorite books I've read and also the reasons I loved them, so you can give me some good recs. Before you ask, yes, I've perused the charts. A little more holistic than what I'm looking for, though.

1. 1984
Figured I'd start off strong with the most "Veeky Forums" book I've read. I enjoyed this book for its utterly nihilistic outlook. Explorations into human misery and suffering are very intriguing to me. I'll be honest and say that I didn't care too much for the political aspects, so don't tell me to read Animal Farm.

2. Ready Player One
The characters I found to be very strong and multidimensional, not like other characters I've encountered in film or vidya or what have you.

3. The Name of the Wind
I think this book is a bit controversial on this board so I'm a little hesitant about 'naming' it, but it's probably my favorite on the list. The world building and whole magic-science system really drew me in.

So go ahead an impress me, Veeky Forums.

I feel so sad that this is a troll post. I'm still going to rec stuff because I just wanna have the dream, man, y'know?

Ender's Game, Hyperion, LoTR, The Martian Chronicle, To Kill a Mockingbird, Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman, A Short History of Nearly Everything, Cat's Cradle/The Sirens of Titan, The Code Book, Lord of Light, Flowers for Algernon, World War Z, Perfume, Flatland, The Lies of Locke Lamora, and Stoner.

OP on the offchance this isn't a troll post I love you and hope you're happy. I mean that

>tfw my taste is so bad people mistake me for a troll

Well, hopefully I'll be able to remedy that in the upcoming year at least. Thank you very much for the recommendations, I'm saving them. And thanks for the sentiments as well.

Read the charts, read what's in the charts, etc.

It's difficult to recommend you something because I'm a firm believer that reading the same genre or kind of work again and again will never help you "expand your mind", so to speak.

Thus, go to the basics.

>1984
>most lit book I've ever read

It's like /r/books gained sentience

A Brave New World by Alduous Huxley pairs really well with 1984.

I'm not really looking for something general, that was the point of the thread.
Yikes, sorry

Thanks.

There's also a more contemporary social scifi called Feed that I read in high school. It wasn't as good as those other two but was not terrible.

It's pretty commonly believed that the best segue into finer literature is Camus' The Stranger. It's a very quick and simple read but it prepares you for books in which you will need to read beyond plot.

After that's I'd recommend A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. That will get you ready for books that toy with language through their prose.

Neither of these books are very exciting or adventurous plot-wise, that is why I hope they will help you find enjoyment in novels outside of plot alone.

Read those and see how you feel

Remember, prose>meaning>plot

>Ender's Game, Hyperion, LoTR, The Martian Chronicle, To Kill a Mockingbird, Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman, A Short History of Nearly Everything, Cat's Cradle/The Sirens of Titan, The Code Book, Lord of Light, Flowers for Algernon, World War Z, Perfume, Flatland, The Lies of Locke Lamora, and Stoner.

holy shit most of this is reddit trash

WEW LAD
E
W

L
A
D

Thank you for this. I'll certainly put them on the list. I just feel like I have to get into the rhythm of reading before I get into super highbrow stuff like this.
I genuinely thought these were solid books, by the synopses and critical reception

It looks cool, thanks

That's why they're perfect recommendations for someone like OP

Veeky Forums and Veeky Forums by extension is deeply contrarian.

The Princess Bride, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, East of Eden, The Count of Monte Cristo, House of Leaves, Salt Sugar Fat, S, Sapiens, The Emperor of All Maladies, The Botany of Desire, Stiff, The Stars my Destination, The Hobbit, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, The Chronicles of Narnia, His Dark Materials, The Little Prince, Roadside Picnic, Cloud Atlas, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, The Color of Magic, Replay, Stories Of Your Life and Others, The Book of the New Sun, The Phantom Tollbooth, The 13 Clocks, Permutation City, Diaspora, The Great Book of Amber, The Way of Kings, A Brave New World, The Giver, Pride and Prejudice, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Picture of Dorian Grey, Siddhartha, Camus generally, Shogun, Dandelion Wine, The God of Small Things

Go directly to Science Fiction & Fantasy General. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

Fuck off man
Some of these look really cool, thanks

holy shit. literally kill youself

Yeah, sorry, I don't know anyone named "youself". Nice try though.

christ.

I honestly don't get what the big deal is. I know this is Veeky Forums and all, but all of you started somewhere. I think you're being really petty.

there is no hope for you

read portrait of the artist as a young man.

Why would you say this? Genuinely curious.

We have charts for beginners. You only made this thread because they weren't reddity enough

5/10 trolling effort

As I said in my OP, I didn't really want to go through a generic chart. I wanted some recommendations tailored to my interests. Fuck out of my thread.

>be me
>see thread
>see 400 sf/fantasy recommendations
>ctrl + f
>no dune

let's fix that shall we

>and then i am going to mcfucking kill myself

First of all you need to beat that nihilistic fanboyism out of yourself ASAP

Get you some good religious literature, recover some of the lost spiritual meaning in your life. Don't limit yourself to just books. George Herbert and T.S. Eliot are part of the Brit Lit starter pack that really made a difference in my life.

To truly appreciate literature you must appreciate and understand the human condition, and anti-humanist rat traps like 1984 are the road to ruin. They will rot your mind and soul if you let them. This is not to say that they are not valuable, but they are dangerous in a vacuum.

read Brave New World and harvest that sweet chronic depression we all experience.

I don't think you know what you're saying

get rekt m8

>I enjoyed this book for its utterly nihilistic outlook. Explorations into human misery and suffering are very intriguing to me.
The Stranger by Albert Camus
Notes from the Underground by Fydor Dostoevsky
Hunger by Knut Hamsun

>I wanted some recommendations tailored to my interests.

>spoonfeed me.

I'm not sure why you think your interests are unique and complex enough that you cannot use the charts from the wiki. But based on the books you listed you are the exact person the intro charts were meant for.

You are wasting your time reading only books like the three you've listed. As a human being you have a responsibility to not just read schlock. Never looking for something more than "Ready Player One" hurts you.

Great advice.

If you're into that, did you ever read the essay "amusing ourselves to death"? Interesting read even if its not the most entertaining

I'll add The King in Yellow

C A R C O S A
A
R
C
O
S
A

b/c this post a book called Interesting Ourselves To Death just popped into my head

i read Postman's book and you're right it was just kind of okay

start with the greeks

Human darkness: Child of God by Cormac McCarthy
Characters: Family Happiness and Other Stories by Tolstoy
World: The Deep by John Crowley

Finally let me suggest two books purely for their entertainment value: Neverwhere by Gaiman and Bridge of Birds by Hughart

Half the stories in that book suck though. Instead grab Shadows of Carcossa, it contains the best King in Yellow story along with a bunch of other good stuff.

>prose>meaning>plot
kys

Here OP let me synthesize (aka cherry pick) these results and make a reading order for ya, ordered more or less by reading complexity:

The Hobbit
Enders Game
The Stars My Destination
Dune
Cats Cradle
Lord of Light
The Sirens of Titan
Flatland
The Little Prince
The Deep
Shadows of Carcossa
Brave New World
Siddhartha
The Stranger
Child of God
Family Happiness and Other Stories
Notes From Underground
The Book of the New Sun
A Portrait of the Artist

No

pretty good