What books are you reading?

[Kalient]

Seeing as we already have one of these threads for music and videos, might as well make one for books.(I imagine most people here read) Of course, it would be great if you didn't just read what book you're currently reading, but also recommendations for others. (Who read might read similar books)

I'll begin then: My favourite (fiction) genres are Historical Fiction and Science-Fiction, mostly serious stuff. (No Horrible Histories, or Star-Trek/Star Wars!) Recently I've also started reading popular (non-fiction) science books, mainly theoretical physics, which interests me very much.

Right now i'm reading A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking, as well as The Quiet War(Sci-fi) by Paul McAulen. The quiet war is fucking*sorry, but it's just that good* brilliant as far as I'm concerned (If you happen to like hard SF, with a thriller-like pace and a masterfully created-and intruiging- Universe) And I won't comment on the first book, seeing as I have no intention of starting a discussion on The Uncertainty Principle or General Relativity.

As for recommendations, for historical-fiction Conn Iggulden is the best for me (Especially the Conqueror Series) while I really suggest you read some Iain M. Banks(The Culture Series is a must-read) if you're into massive-universe, far-future space-opera. Same goes for Stephen Baxter (Though he has some more focused hard SF books as well.) Charles Strauss is also worth a read if you're a hard SF fan.


Edit: Oh and don't worry if it's in another language, if it's popular, it'll probably have translations, and if not I'm sure that someone else in the clan will speak your language too

Edit2: Authors in bold now.

[SCGavin]

Anthony Riches writes very vivid and seemingly well researched books about the Roman occupation of Britain. If you are into Roman History, Harry Sidebottom could also be of interest.
Bernard Cornwell is of course another recommendable author, his books about the Viking, Medieval or Napoleonic times are nice to read. If you like his Sharpe series, you might also like Garry Douglas Kilworth, John Wilcox, Allan Mallinson or Iain Gale.
Sean Thomas Russell writes suspenseful novels about naval warfare around 1791, so if you like the Hornblower series, he is worth a try.

I recently started "Outlaw" by Angus Donald, but it didn't captivate my attention yet.

[Kovas]

Kamasutra, a good book.

[Deathstar]

'Sword of Destiny' and 'Narrenturm', by Andrzej Sapkowski. The Witcher was based on his books.

[Chikun]

I recommend this series of nice big books: Malazan Books of the Fallen (in some countries known as The Game of the Gods) by Steven Erikson. These are the kind of books that have you read till 3 in the morning when you re girlfriend is asleep. It's fantasy, but o so realistic and complex. These are the books where, if you have the time, you read until the 4th or 5th book and then start over at the first which then seems like a whole new book (this is also due to the writer's brilliant style of storytelling).

I recommend these books to people who are into fantasy and warfare and want something more mature then Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

As these are the only books that have really captivated my attention lately, I don't have any other books to recommend besides maybe The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan.

[Decadence]

I do LOVE books, i grow up with my mother writing poetry as a hobbie and she always bought many great books over the time...
I`m currently reading the novel  of "Pope Joan", called in portuguese "A Papisa Joana" from Donna Woolfolk Cross. Its based on a legend was around Europe for centuries about  a woman that governed the church during 2 or 3 years, called Joan. It´s about the story of Joan, her life since she was born, but im curently almost in the end of the book.

Here is information about the Pope Joan:

                          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Joan

[Valdarr]

'Sword of Destiny' and 'Narrenturm', by Andrzej Sapkowski. The Witcher was based on his books.

got the 2. and 3. waiting for me to read them here =D btw. i didnt like the Witcher game, the fighting was just too boring

Whoever knows Tad Williams or Terry Pratchett knows what im reading most of the time ^^
Course theres plenty more, i always need to have at least 1 book ready for me to read, otherwise im going crazy =O More crazy than usual at least xD

[Crayon]

Millenium. The end of the world and the forging of Christendom
by Tom Holland: It's about Medieval Europe in the build up to, and during the century after, 1000 AD.

And

The Roman Revolution
by Ronald Syme: An excellent book on politics, the civil wars, expansion, the Republican oligarchy and the necessity of Augustus.

[Windmill]

Right now I'm reading Kitchen Confidential and A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain in an omnibus.  I'm also just starting Night by Elie Wiesel.  I also frequently read The Stranger and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.  Oh- and I sorta recently finished Band of Brothers

[Beardface]

Into the wild.

[Nublet]

Read ''Gaunt's Ghosts'' Novel series some time ago.

Awesome books and i recommend them unless you dont like warhammer  (

[Fiddler]

At the moment I'm fully focusing on reading the Malazan Book of the Fallen, which, as Morii said, is an awesome series. In fact, I think Steven Erikson is the one writer who has the most affected my own style. Indeed, I think he's at least part of the reason I'm myself I'm myself writing something I'd like to think will be a book someday right now.

Though, recently I did read through Science&Islam: A History, and extremely interesting book.

Other than that, for anyone who can stand something involving a lot of thought I'd like to recommend His Dark Materials which is in my opinion an amazing series, even though I've heard some people express very different opinions of it.

Other than that here's a couple of other excellent fantasy series for those interested in such:
Riftwar Saga by Raymond E. Feist, of whose work all the rest is worth reading too, I'd imagine, even if I haven't read it all.
The Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb

and... Err, deal with those first, I've got too much to list it all at once.

[Chikun]

This....  This is the creme a la creme when talking about literature.. This is what Zan reads to me every night.. This WILL get a literature Nobel-Prize at some point in the future....

*drums*


*more drums*

Spoiler

[SCGavin]

I really wonder what that book is about. Oddly enough there is no information on the book, nor about the author available (at least none that I could find quickly).

Maybe the protagonist is a pirate who dislikes shirts and who is very skilled with his musket, a skill he uses in the name of love to kill unlovable persons - secretly of course.

...

If an author agrees to use such a title and cover, they really have issues.

[Valdarr]

The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb is only mediocre in my eyes, i have read many much better books.

It is, without a doubt, readable, but the author isnt using the language as skillful as many others and the story lacks something very own, which could make it really interesting.

The Soldiers Son i read from her started quite interesting, but the last two books werent nearly as interesting as the first, so it was quite a dissapointment.

I wont say that her books were bad, they are far from that, but i would never group them together with the really good and unique books.