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Hello! My brother is basically extreme-grounded for the next five months or so and he's asked me for recommendations on books he could read while he's stuck at home. I have a list growing in my head but I'd like him to have some stuff beyond what I like/usually read. For example, I don't read a lot of nonspeculative fiction.

He's a huge James Patterson fan, loved Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, and I believe he likes dystopias in general. I would also like to take this chance to sneak in some classics and poison his mind with wacky ideas like feminism, LGBT(+) are people too, or social justice, etc., but subtly, so any recs like that would be nice.
He's sixteen, seventeen in March, and the parents aren't too strict on his reading except when it comes to graphic sexual material (they probably wouldn't be pleased with too much implied sexual material but I think I could sneak that in if the story's good).

Right now I'm thinking:
Tamora Pierce
Terry Pratchett
John Green
Dragonriders of Pern (though it's been a while so I can't remember if there was some vaguely problematic material? I know there were sex scenes in some, but I read them at his age so it should squeak by).
Fahrenheit 451
Animorphs
The Giver and subsequent sequels.

I had others, but I'd have to be home looking at my bookcase to remember them.

Thanks in advance for any recs!

ETA: (either recced or I thought of them after I posted)
ETA2: Holy crap you guys this is amazing! I'm putting up here everything I'm definitely recommending to him because I've read it before, heard of it before, or it sounds perfect but I'll be checking with everything I don't recognize later. Thanks so much!
Scott Westerfield
Neil Gaiman
1984
Maureen Johnson
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Lord of the Rings
Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin
Hitchhiker's Guid to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Book Theif by Markus Zusak
So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Patricia C. Wrede
Artemis Fowl
Dianna Wynne Jones
City of Ember series

jain

I'm looking for science fiction books that are based more in sociology and other social sciences than in the hard sciences. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin exemplifies what I'm seeking...as do many of her other books, but I was hoping to read some good books in this genre written by someone other than Le Guin. :-)

books2thesky

Does anyone know of any books in English that are about Karna? Fiction, nonfiction, or anything! Even anthologies (of nonfiction or fiction pieces) that contain a piece about Karna are welcome!

I would be particularly interested in reading stuff that takes a look at Karna's story in terms of real-life issues related to the caste system/reform of the caste system*, but anything at all would be great, really. :)

*and I hope I phrased that okay, since I know basically nothing about the subject!

ETA: Books about Bhishma are also good! I don't know much about him, but what I do know is intriguing.

kyriacarlisle

I need to do some catching up on dance and dance history (the classic "librarian two books ahead of likely reference questions" approach). I'm especially interested in ballet and modern, though if there's a magnificent book about another dance form, I'm very glad to know about that, too.

Much though I loved them as a child, I'm not really looking for books like A Very Young Dancer or Life at the Royal Ballet School (although if you happen to be looking for a graphic novel about ballet, try Siena Cherson Siegel & Mark Siegel, To Dance). I'm also not so very interested in hagiography - in my usual field, I'd think of this as the ten zillion coffee table books about Maria Callas. On the other hand, if the photographs are simply too revelatory to pass up....

I'm reading Apollo's Angels now. I've already read Dance to the Piper, Winter Season, Off Balance, and Behind the Scenes at the Boston Ballet.

garlicandsapphires

I'm looking for books with Third Culture Kid POVs. TCKs are usually defined as those who have grown up or spent a significant part of their upbringing in a culture different from their native/parent culture, who develop their own in-between cultural identity from elements of both. They often end up being strongly attached to two or more places/cultures without quite fitting in entirely with either.

A lot of the writing on the subject that I can find is academic, and a lot of that is annoyingly America-centric (largely about American army or missionary kids) for something that's meant to be all about the multiculturalism. I found this awesome list of books that speak to the TCK experience, but were not necessarily written about that experience. I guess a lot of things could apply, thematically, but I was wondering if anyone knows of works of fiction that are specifically about this.

Thanks!

rise

possibly a weird request, but are there any good (defined as: you read it and liked it) books about the experiences of women and minorities in the american military during the 90s and 00s? or, hell, even minority women? it hit me upside the head the other day how nearly everything seems to be about white guys. and other white guys. and yet more white guys. clearly, i need some stuff that is not about white guys!

i considered asking for books about the experiences of female minority military doctors in active service following hpsp medical training, but, uh, that is probably way too niche.

miss_haitch

Is there any YA literature you enjoy in which sisters play a strong or leading role? I'm in a bit of a historical mood at the moment, but I'm not too fussy about genre to be honest - it's well-drawn relationships I'm interested in.

onlydizzier

Can anyone recommend a book that is similar in feel to Downton Abbey or Gosford Park, in that it has an upstairs/downstairs dynamic? I'd like for the characters on both sides of the green baize door to be fully realized, with their own problems and stories. I've read THE HOUSE AT RIVERTON, so anything beyond that would be appreciated.

Thanks!

ETA: This doesn't necessarily have to be historical fiction, though that was my first thought. Something along the same lines in mystery, fantasy, or any other genre would be fine.

lauredhel

Can anyone specifically recommend or disrecommend an English-language Encyclopedia of Mythology for a fairly high reading level eight year old? I'd like one that's strong on Egyptian, Greek and Norse but with plenty of others in there, one that is good on the mythical monsters and cool/gross stuff, and one that has fabulous, large, abundant illustrations. And one that's much more comprehensive and detailed than the usual stuff pitched at eight year olds, but that still has engaging text and a touch of storytelling flair, instead of dry encyclopedic droning.

Normally for well illustrated nonfiction I'd just grab whatever Usborne or DK floats to the top, but my searches aren't turning up something likely-looking from those sources. The page counts of their books makes me think they'll fail on the "comprehensive" criterion: they seem to be introductions and overviews, not books to look up minor players and get the whole story. I'm thinking along the lines of 500-1000 pages.

Should include plenty on gods/goddesses/heroes/beasts/cryptozoology in the first instance, perhaps more so than "fairy tales" (I have some separate faerie sources, we have Grimm etc, and Spiderwick does a decent magical-wildlife directory. We have a children's Bible and are working on suitable other volumes for the mythologies generally recognised as religions around here).

Initially it will be used to look up, say, manticores or minotaurs or Apollo or Artemis or Thor or Loki or the Asphodel Meadows or Anubis or Ammit or Ouranus or the cyclopes. Etc. (You can probably guess what we've been reading/watching lately just from that!) Then on from there for a broader view of world mythology. I'd love a book that includes American, Subcontinental and East Asian, and Islander & Australian mythologies, but could live without it and get those in separate volumes if there's a really really good Euro/North African/Middle East volume I should be looking at.

Should I settle on multiple DK volumes, one for each set of mythologies? Larousse has been mentioned - but is it well-illustrated enough and interesting enough for a child in lower primary school? Something else? Am prepared to pay a fair bit for a nicely presented suitable hardback, or multiple quality smaller volumes. Can import from USA or UK.

I'd appreciate any help!

msmcknittington

I was having a conversation in

cleolinda's journal on LJ about how frustrating the Dies the Fire and other books in that universe by SM Stirling are because of the ableism. This is a pretty big stumbling block for me in postapocalyptic fiction, because I have insulin-dependent diabetes, and I basically see myself written out of the story whenever I pick up one of these books. And not just "you don't exist" but "you existed, but you died a horrible death which the author just couldn't be bothered to write about".

So! With that in mind, can anyone recommend any postapocalyptic fiction which addresses people with disabilities and/or chronic medical conditions? It could even be as simple as the character needing glasses to see and not being able to get them because of the postapocalyptic setting. I think I'd prefer it if the character was a major character in the novel who was fully fleshed out, rather than an emotional accessory for or someone to be "rescued" by the protagonist. Happy ending, if possible.

I feel like this is a pretty tall order, but there must be something out there somewhere. I'd even be open to just plain fantasy recommendations which deal with disability in a realistic way. That aren't, um, the Vorkosigan Saga, that is.

to_love_a_rose

Can anyone recommend a good history of Canada? I know next to nothing about the large country which is only about twelve hours' drive from my house, and that just doesn't seem right.

sixbeforelunch

I'm looking for three things:

One, novels set in America that take place before the 1850s and are in no way belonging to the "old west" genre. So, Colonial Period, American Revolution, War of 1812, etc. Things that don't involve being kidnapped by "Indians" would be preferred, though if anyone can suggest stories that manage to remember that Europeans were not the first people to set foot on the continent without using those cultures as nothing more than plot devices, that would be nice.

Two, historical romance novels set in either the same time period as above or in Restoration/Georgian/Regency England that aren't about the wealthy, influential, titled, etc.

Three, historical romance novels set in either America or England (same time period) that have CoC either has main characters or as fleshed out supporting characters.

I'm not looking for all three in one book, though if such a book exists, I would be interested in hearing about it. Also, the book doesn't necessarily have to be a Romance Novel in the strictest definition of the genre. Mainly I don't want something tragic and I don't want something that's too heavy.

rho

Does anyone know of an alternate-history story in which the Spanish Reconquista never happened? In particular, I'm interested in seeing an interpretation of how Europe would have developed with a Muslim state in amongst the morass of Christendom.

shanaqui

I'm looking for any crime/mystery fiction with a disabled 'detective' character. Define disabled as 'has some problem that an abled person would consider to be an impediment to investigation'.

On the last day of my crime fiction course, my lecturer was asking us what kinds of minority detectives we'd like to see on the course. She went through a list -- black detective, lesbian detective, gay detective, dog detective... and then a pause, and then disabled detective. Followed by the comment that that was "scraping the barrel".

I want to prove her wrong and send her a list of disabled detectives. They don't have to actually be a detective, just be the person in the narrative who is following all the clues.

Current Mood: irritated

onlydizzier

1. I'm interested in a novel in any genre with a good romance in it. The romance can be the central plot or only secondary, either is fine. I'm not interested in anything with explicit sex, but a fade to black or implied sex is all right. I also would like a story where the romance builds throughout instead of one where the characters jump from cold to hot immediately.

2. My second request is for recommendations of classic novels that have stood the test of time. If you loved the Three Musketeers, or Anna Karenina, or Great Expectations or anything like that, please recommend it. I love Austen, but otherwise don't quite know where to go.

Thanks so much!

aeslis

I really go for fiction set in older societies, which is the main reason I go for fantasy, since they're often written in medieval times. But I've always been aching for fiction set in some of the other cultures and societies, as well, particularly Egypt, Greece, Rome, Constantinople, and Japan. When I go poking through Amazon, 90% of the books I find look more like history lessons than character-driven stories, even when they're novels. (Also, if it's got a lot of political focus, I tune out.)

I've also tried to find books set in harems, but they seem to be few an far between. Really? I mean, really? It seems like such a ripe topic.

Any ideas, guys? ♥

holyschist

Not such a specific question, but I'm interested in modern (defined loosely as "anything post-17th-century) Mongolian literature and poetry, either written in or translated into English (alas for my monolinguality!). Novels, poetry, short stories, whatever! Extra bonus points if it involves Queen Manduhai (Mandukhai, Manduqai) in some way.

I just don't know where to start looking.

emei

I'm looking for fiction about climate change, in particular books with climate change refugees. Either science fiction - humans fleeing a ruined Earth for new planets, or why not alien environmental refugees arriving here. Or dystopias set on Earth in the near or distant future. Anything that goes into the inequality of who is responsible for climate change and who's got to live with the effects of it would be especially brilliant.

holyschist

I have been longing for a politically nuanced Robin Hood novel--one that acknowledges what a lousy king Richard was and that John wasn't actually so bad, one where the sheriff and/or Guy of Gisbourne have moral complexity, one where Robin maybe isn't a perfect hero. Ideally, I'd like a strong, interesting Marian who actually feels like a plausible 12th century woman (public defiance of injustice--with consequences--and helping the poor and running a manor and navigating court politics = awesome; putting on armor and becoming a vigilante = suspension of disbelief problems) to be the main character, and bonus points if she feels caught between Robin and the Sheriff/Gisbourne, both personally and politically.

I am not sure this novel exists. But I sure hope it does.

shanaqui

Can anyone recommend me books with blind main (or at least significant) characters? I think I know of one-and-a-half: Stephen Lawhead's Paradise War trilogy has Tegid, and in Ursula Le Guin's Gifts, Orrec is voluntarily and temporarily "blinded". I'd prefer books where the blindness isn't magically hand-waved away: it's real, and it gets in the way, and the protagonist learns to deal with it. I don't mind about being born blind, being blinded by violence or illness, or slowly going blind with age.

Current Mood: hopeful

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Dream's Library

January 2012

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Page Summary

carnivorousgiraffe - Looking for recs for a sixteen year old...
jain - Social Science Fiction
books2thesky - Books about Karna (from the Mahabharata) in English
kyriacarlisle - Books About Dance
garlicandsapphires - Third Culture Kids in fiction
rise - re: americans in the military who are not white or men
miss_haitch - Sisterly relationships
onlydizzier - book recommendation - masters and servants
lauredhel - Encyclopedia of Mythology: Kid-suitable but very comprehensive?
msmcknittington - Avoiding ableism in postapocalyptic fiction
to_love_a_rose - (no subject)
sixbeforelunch - (no subject)
rho - Alternate history
shanaqui - (no subject)
onlydizzier - 2 requests
aeslis - Historical Lit...
holyschist - Modern Mongolian literature
emei - Climate change sci-fi?
holyschist - Politically nuanced Robin Hood novels
shanaqui - Blind main characters

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