Giveaway: Mystery Book Bonanza
I just have to point this out again
Things that happen when you have more than one publisher: Two page proofs arrive at one (for those of you who don’t know, the page proofs are the last stage of the process where the last proof-reading occurs and at this point there’s an actual deadline for getting shit done, and generally pretty tight ones too).
I spent yesterday at a small literary festival. This involved showing up with a box of books. I have, I discover, quite a lot of books. Probably more than I have a use for. So this week I’m going to give away all kinds of stuff. There will be some Nathan Hawke. There will be some Stephen Deas. I have Adam Roberts, Joe Abercrombie, Brandon Sanderson, Stephen Baxter and numerous other. The gods of random will pick one entry for every four comments until I run out of books. Aaaaaad….. GO.
Usual deal – comment on this post before March 24th and I’ll randomly select lucky victims. This week I want to know your must-read books.
Although, though no one has yet complained about how long it takes me to get to the post office and post things, it can take a while and if you live abroad then it can take even longer. Sorry about that, but they do get there eventually. Well, so far. Recent winners, I have (just about) cleared my backlog again – they’re all in the post!
March 17th, 2014 at 9: 55 am
Hitchikers guide to the galaxy
March 17th, 2014 at 10: 07 am
The Stand by Stephen King
March 17th, 2014 at 11: 01 am
Ohoh. Now this is tough. Just one?
Hmmm…
Right now Sandersons ‘words of radiance’ is getting me through extreme toothache so for me, its a must read purely for the distraction it is providing, that and a fucktonne of ibuprofen.
Yeah, shamelessly going for the sympathy vote. Toothache is awful. Also, started just after my birthday :’(
March 17th, 2014 at 11: 16 am
Must read of already read or must read on wishlist? Former Children’s Story, and latter um, All The Books? Actually, I’m looking forward to a proof I’ve just won called The Year of Reading Dangerously, sounds right up my street.
March 17th, 2014 at 11: 59 am
Must read books… always so hard to answer this question.
But I’ll say Patrick Rothfuss’ books, and Terry Pratchett too (but don’t make me choose a favourite!)
March 17th, 2014 at 12: 01 pm
Sabriel by Garth Nix
March 17th, 2014 at 12: 01 pm
Gormenghast. I want to read those bad boys soon.
March 17th, 2014 at 12: 34 pm
Hmm if its just the one book, I keep being told that I need to read ‘The Chronicles of Amber’ !
March 17th, 2014 at 12: 46 pm
The Best of Saki
March 17th, 2014 at 1: 40 pm
Hmmm….”must-read books”…
Small Gods by Terry Pratchett. -Should be required reading at all schools.
The Liveship Traders Trilogy by Robin Hobb. -Hobb is my favourite Epic Fantasy author, and this is my favourite trilogy from her.
Ronya the Robber’s Daughter, and The Brother’s Lionheart both by Astrid Lindgren. -Kids need to get these books early. I still remember waiting for the former to come out in Norwegian.
I could go on for a while, but that would be boring, so I’ll leave it at that.
March 17th, 2014 at 2: 18 pm
Right, there are a few: “Moonheart” by Charles de Lint is truely magical; “The Language of Dying” by Sarah Pinborough should be a compulsory read for everyone; and “Hell Train” by Christopher Fowler is a wonderful love-letter to Hammer Horror.
March 17th, 2014 at 2: 28 pm
Has to be Good Omens by Pratchett and Gaiman
March 17th, 2014 at 2: 44 pm
Did anyone mentioned Dune so far? The book that open my taste for SF.
March 17th, 2014 at 3: 07 pm
David Gemmell’s The Sword in the Storm. His whole Rigante series as a whole really.
March 17th, 2014 at 6: 24 pm
My must read book is the one I’m planning to read next. But if the gods of random point to me this time, I’d really like to get a copy of Black Mausoleum (or any of your Flames books really).
March 17th, 2014 at 7: 33 pm
Alamut by Vladimir Bartol
March 17th, 2014 at 7: 54 pm
My must read book is Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by: Peter Cameron. So glad I randomly found it in the bookstore.
March 17th, 2014 at 9: 47 pm
Marion Zimmer Bradley – The Mists of Avalon
March 17th, 2014 at 11: 22 pm
I’d have to say the complete series of Shannara by Terry Brooks. And catching up on the books by Trudi Canavan after The Rogue.
March 18th, 2014 at 12: 41 am
Nightfall by Asimov.
Lord of Light by Zelazny.
Currently reliving teenage years by going back through the Belgariad. Maybe those should make the list for teenage reading!
March 18th, 2014 at 10: 47 am
The Lord of the Rings is a must read before you see the movie (I have resisted and still have my mental images of it). Anything by T Pratchett or A Reynolds or Iain M Banks or………
March 18th, 2014 at 10: 53 am
A Child Across the Sky by Jonathan Carroll
March 18th, 2014 at 11: 00 am
Am hanging out for the third Rothfuss book. My must reads are Lord of the Rings (at least yearly I either re-read or listen to the BBC audio production), The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley, Juliet E McKenna’s Einarrin series (actually, anything by her) and CE Murphy’s Urban Shaman series. Currently listening to Brandon Sanderson’s Words of Radiance audiobook (and not wanting it to end!).
March 18th, 2014 at 12: 09 pm
All-time must read book? Little Big by John Crowley, a truly wondrous book.
March 18th, 2014 at 3: 36 pm
“Thinking, Fast And Slow” by Daniel Kahneman. Non-fiction, utterly fascinating.
March 18th, 2014 at 6: 22 pm
Man, that’s a hard one. Simply because I know my must-read tastes aren’t the same as others and I have so many must-read books. To narrow it down to a few, I guess Stormbringer by Michael Moorcock, House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, Magician by Raymond Feist, and Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.
March 18th, 2014 at 7: 31 pm
There are so many of them! My brain wants to go on and on and on here, but I’ll behave and name just one of them: The Name of the Wind by Pat Rothfuss.
March 18th, 2014 at 9: 51 pm
Stranger in a Strange Land by Heinlein, quite like Pattern Recognition by William Gibson, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Venture to the Interior by Laurens Van Der Post, Anna Karenina by Tolstoy….
March 19th, 2014 at 7: 41 pm
Anything by Terry Pratchett – also Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, Patrick Rothfuss, Brandon Sanderson, Steven Erikson, Ian C. Esslemont, George R R Martin, Daniel Polansky, Chris Wooding, Peter V Brett, Tom Holt…yeah, I’ve got a lot of must-read authors. There’s still loads I haven’t mentioned, including yourself
March 20th, 2014 at 10: 11 am
Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett – comes with a caution though: this book started a life-long fantasy obsession. Handle with care!
The Hunger Games trilogy – teenage (sorry, Young Adult) fiction, but raises some very dark moral questions.
Any of David Edding’s Sparhawk books.
I could go on…!
March 21st, 2014 at 5: 11 pm
I guess, I shouldn’t mention such masterpieces as Anna Karenina, Moby-Dick, The Count of Monte Cristo and so on, which would be worth reading for anyone? In my personal must read there’s whole The Witcher series by Sapkovsky, Brave new world, 1984, Gateway by Frederik Pohl, Ender’s Game and shitload of books by Philip K. Dick, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, Asimov (especially The Gods Themselves), Stephen King and… Guess I can write about it for so long that no one would read to the end.
PS: If I’ll be your lucky victim and get thief-taker or something of your stuff, can I get an autograph please? :3
March 21st, 2014 at 5: 35 pm
Just one day by Gayle Forman
March 21st, 2014 at 11: 30 pm
Magician by Raymond E. Feist
March 22nd, 2014 at 11: 38 pm
Daniel Hood’s ‘Fanuilh’ and the other books following it.
James Gurney’s ‘Dinotopia’.
And subsequently, Richard Adams’ ‘Watership Down’.
Many others, but those three certainly stood out to me as must-haves in my life.
March 23rd, 2014 at 1: 27 pm
Books, books, and more books please! I definately still want to read some Nathan Hawke. Must read books? 11/22/63 – Stephen King, Heart Shaped Box- Joe Hill, Stranger in a Strange Land- R.A. Heinlein, A Game of Thrones- GRRM
March 23rd, 2014 at 3: 13 pm
Dune. I love that book.
March 23rd, 2014 at 3: 23 pm
I’m thinking I must reread Mists of Avalon by MZ Bradley soon. And Dune, which is a classic. MD Russell’s The Sparrow is really great for first contact w/ a non human culture. Makes you think about what we would do.
March 23rd, 2014 at 5: 28 pm
Good Omens.
March 23rd, 2014 at 5: 28 pm
I loved Catch 22,I’d confidently recommend that book to anyone no matter what they are in to.
March 23rd, 2014 at 5: 35 pm
My must reads at the moment are as follows; first off “Malice” by John Gwynne, an excellent David Gemmell esq read with all the hallmarks of great fantasy, gritty, believable characters, superb set pieces and an ending leaving you wanting more. Next up are the Richard Kadrey Sandman Slim novels. Imagine Raymond Chandler crossed with Stephen King and you’re still now where close to how good these novels are. Last but not least “Blood Song” by Anthony Ryan id another start to a potentially great fantasy series. Dark but with a central character you root for all the way. Aces.
March 23rd, 2014 at 5: 38 pm
Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky
March 23rd, 2014 at 5: 42 pm
Wells, War of the Worlds and Orwell’s 1984. Stone classics
March 23rd, 2014 at 5: 52 pm
Luke Rheinhart’s The Dice Man is interesting as is Complicity by Iain Banks. But a 2nd place must is The Forever War by Joe Haldeman, while 1st place goes to Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughter House 5 for true horror and brilliant talent.
March 23rd, 2014 at 6: 58 pm
There are so many. Mark Lawrence’s Prince of Fools and Pat Rothfuss’ Doors of stone. Working on Den Patrick’s ‘Boy with the Porcelain Blade’at the minute.
March 25th, 2014 at 12: 28 am
Thank you for all the book suggestions. Lots of good books I recognize and have read and a good few that I recognize and haven’t. The Gods of Random have decreed there shall be seven winners from the bonanza, so pay your respects to Fickle Fortune Aaron, Ade, Aleksandra, Andreea, Barb, Dan and Jenna
March 25th, 2014 at 12: 35 am
(that’s the first Aaron. Sorry, other Aaron).
March 26th, 2014 at 8: 10 pm
I recently read a great novel by author Lubos Borik called “Human Source Code” (www.lubosborik.com). In our modern day and age we deal with a lot of issues over privacy and rights violations, and this novel gives us some insight into how these issues may translate into the future. Exploring the frightening aspect of gene and DNA manipulation, the author gives us a window into what could very well be the future of “control” over human beings. An organization “profiling” people because of their DNA and a detective eager to expose them, this one is a fast paced and cerebral read. Highly recommend.