Kindle books

[memnarch]

I recently obtained a new kindle to read books off of. Problem is, I didn't think about what books I want to read. So, in an effort to get ideas of what books I'd enjoy, are there any recommendations from The Playground?

I've enjoyed both the Ender's game and Ender's Shadow series, as well as the Dune books. Fantasy is another genre favorite as well.

[Mauve Shirt]

I recommend the Dresden Files to everyone. There's also a ton of free stuff for the Kindle. The complete collection of Sherlock Holmes is good.

[memnarch]

Thanks, I'll give them a look.

[Icewalker]

http://cthulhuchick.com/free-complete-lovecraft-ebook-nook-kindle/
(http://cthulhuchick.com/free-complete-lovecraft-ebook-nook-kindle/)
That should cover it.
:smallbiggrin:

[Agamid]

anything by Tolkien, Patrick Rothfuss, Neil Gaiman or Lloyd Alexander or the Earthsea books by Ursula le Guin (she's also done some other series but i've not read them so can't comment).
Kristin Cashore has put out two books of a trilogy that are good light reading (can go through one in a day).
The War of The Spider Queen series (by Forgotten Realms, story by RA Salvatore but each book in the 6-part series written by a different author), are more good light reading - story got me hooked and loved the first author but since the authors have been pretty subpar, but again, pretty good story (kept me guessing about what was going to happen next and who was going to die).
and even though they're not in a genre you've listed, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and Indelible Ink by Fiona McGregor are both great reads too.

and that's all i can really recommend unless you're into period fiction, in which case i'm currently reading my way through the complete works of Jane Austen and The Well of Loneliness by Radcliffe Hall (which is meant to be one of the first lesbian novels, but really it's more about transgender, man trapped in woman's body kind of thing).

Project Gutenberg is a great site for downloading public domain books (so books by authors who died before 1955). You can get all of the classics there.

[Weezer]

I just started Steven Erikson's Malazan series on my Kindle and am liking it so far.
As for general recommendations read Stephen Donaldson, he has written one of my favorite fantasy series as well as one of my favorite Sci-Fi series. His novels "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" are incredible fantasy novels that examine themes of belief, hope, love, power, despite and hatred. His sci-fi series the Gap Cycle starts off as an examination of the roles of victim, hero and villain and how villains become victims, heroes become villains and victims become heroes. It then shifts to focus on the questions of what is humanity, can we be free and do we have the right to act for the greater good. I *love* his books, but as a warning don't read them if you don't like main characters that you hate with a burning passion for most of the series (they generally get a apotheosis/redemption at the end though, so you just need to wait)

[DraPrime]

May I suggest some C.S. Lewis? Narnia is the obvious choice of course, and if you haven't read it then do if only out of respect for such a classic. If you have read Narnia, I'd recommend exploring some of his sci-fi works. Great stuff I hear, and it's targeted at older audiences than Narnia was.

[Private-Prinny]

For the fantasy lover, The Wheel of Time and A Song of Ice and Fire tend to be fan favorites.

[Nibleswick]

You might be interested in Enchantment also by Orson Scott Card (I personally liked it better than the Ender series)

Star Wars book are often a good read as well. I think the Best of the lot is the X-Wing series.

Tolkien's Smith of Woodeton Major and Farmer Giles of Ham is another great favorite.

[Zeb The Troll]

A Song of Ice and Fire tend to be fan favorites.Alarra just recently looked into buying these for her Kindle. Sadly, due to the recent HBO series I presume, the price has doubled for the ebook version over what it was before the rekindled interest in the books. In fact, you can still get the four book set in paperback from Amazon for ~$18. The four book Kindle set is ~$36. :smallconfused:

Aside from that, yes, Amazon advertises that there are 1000's of public domain books available for free. So if there's ever been a classic you were curious about, this might be the time to check it out. (I finally read Frankenstein on Alarra's Kindle.)

Books that I've read recently and have enjoyed, but don't quite fall into your initial description, are Jack Whyte's Camulod Chronicles (a plausible history envisioning of the Arthurian legend which, in my view, made a good read even if you'd never heard of Arthur) and Jacquline Carey's Kushiel's Legacy stories (alternate earth low fantasy setting chock full of grand adventure and political intrigue).

[memnarch]

Wow, lots of responses now! Thank you very much for the input, I think I've got a good idea of what to start with, but more suggestions are always welcome.

[Galathir]

I'll second "A Song of Fire and Ice" as well as the "Dresden Files" and congratulations on your kindle.

I would suggest "The Kingkiller Chronicles". Good fantasy writing, a very unique take on magic and a enthralling writing style. They are a bit expensive, but worth it in my opinion.

I'm also a big fan of classic literature, and much of that is public domain and therefore free, so it's a win-win for me.

If you enjoyed Ender's Game, you might consider Asimov's "Foundation" series.

And for some more fantasy, the "Haven Series" by B.V. Larson is quite interesting and rather inexpensive. Well worth checking out.

[mangosta71]

I'm surprised this hasn't been moved into the media section...

If fantasy is your thing, Tad Williams's Shadowmarch series is good - I got my Kindle about a month before you did, and those were the first books I got for it. Other fantasy/sci-fi authors to look for are Glen Cook, Brandon Sanderson, David Drake, David Weber, and I hear good things about Elizabeth Moon though I haven't actually gotten my hands on any of her work yet.

[Liffguard]

If you liked Ender's Game you might like Heinlen's Starship Troopers and Haldeman's The Forever War. Both books are quite different in tone, both from Ender's Game and from each other. However, they are often held up alongside Ender's Game as the "big three" of military sci-fi.