Reading Recommendations

[girlyesterday]

I am and have been for a while now stuck for some good reading material to unwind with. Thought I would throw up a reading recommendations thread.

Questions:
1. What was the last book you read that you enjoyed and why? (spoiler free please if you can)
2. Books that you would happily recommend to others?

[Ashleigh]

Yay! A book thread! I just love books!

1. The last book I read that I enjoyed was Melting Stones by Tamora Pierce. It's part of a series. I liked it because it focused on one of my favourite characters (Evvy) and developed her character more. Honestly, I can't say that I've ever read a Tamora Pierce book that wasn't absolutely amazing. She's a fantasy writer.

2. I would recommend the Sevenwaters trilogy by Juliet Marillier to anyone who likes historical fiction/fantasy/romance. Book one is Daughter of the Forest, book two is Son of the Shadows and book three is Child of the Prophecy. It takes place in Ireland and Britain during the Medieval period when the Irish and British were at war. The series mixes in magic, Celtic mythology, romance and action beautifully and Juliet Marillier's writing is sheer poetry. I definitely would not recommend it to someone under the age of 15 or so, as it has some very disturbing scenes.

Thank you for creating this thread, carnaxa. Lovely!

[girlyesterday]

I've heard Tamora Pierce was a great writer. I have one of her books but haven't got around to reading it yet - Trickster Queen.

Ah, the Sevenwaters; I absolutely love those books. Have you read the new one in that series? Apparently it's the first book (?) of a new series set in the world of Sevenwaters as far as I understand it anyway.

[Ashleigh]

Ooooh! No, I haven't. I'll have to check her website again to get more information on that. Her writing is just gorgeous.

I bought a second-hand copy of one of her books, The Dark Mirror, but I haven't read it, yet.

[girlyesterday]

Ashleigh, it's called 'Heir to Sevenwaters': Link here. It's not bad but I do like the original better. It's been so long, I can't remember most of what happened in the last two books.

I should probably provide an answer to those questions too.

1. Honestly, it's been a long long time since I picked up something worthwhile.

2. If you're into vampires, a different twist to the mythology is Scott Westerfeld's 'Peeps'. (YA Fiction). Anything by Westerfeld is sure to entertain. Also, Guy Gavriel Kay's Ysobel is an interesting read for those with enough patience to get past the initial slow start.

[Ashleigh]

Wow! That plot sounds incredible! I would never have guessed that Marillier would continue the Sevenwaters legacy with Sean's children. She's always focused solely on women in her books, but I guess Clodagh's a girl and she seems to be the main character of this book.

SO excited! Thanks so much for the info, carnaxa.

[SamanthaLynne]

1. The Host by Stephanie Meyer. I know that you guys probably think I'm a vampire fan, but I'm seriously not! I swear!

2. I would recomend The Host because it is amazingly done and I love all the characters. Yes, It's also a romance novel. I also recomend anything from Scott Westerfeld. They were good books. I remember reading Inkheart when it first came out and it was really good but the other books kinda brought it down.

[Ashleigh]

I think Stephenie Meyer is a pathetic excuse for a writer and would love to see the entire Twilight series burned, but I myself was actually pleasantly surprised by The Host. The writing, while certainly not fantastic, was decent and the plot was very deep with many philosophical themes, which I enjoyed. I don't think I'd ever enjoyed a sci-fi book so much since the Pendragon series by D. J. MacHale.

[SamanthaLynne]

I apsolutely agree with you!

I was also suprised at the difference between the books.