Can anyone give me some book recommendations?

In GENERAL FICTION, here are some I (Fittings Doc) would recommend:

"The Firm" (1991 / 501 pages) by John Grisham (my FAVORITE book)

A 1st year lawyer discovers that his firm represents the MOB, the partners have "eliminated" other lawyers at "The Firm" and he is being pressured by the FBI to reveal information that would end his legal career!

"The Rainmaker" (1995 / 576 pages) by John Grisham

The story of a new lawyer representing a poor young man dying from leukemia, who is suing his insurance company for having withheld treatment, due to the greed/fraud of an Insurance company.

"The King of Torts" (2002 / 400 pages) by John Grisham

Deals with "Class Action" lawsuits.

“The Name of the Rose” (1983 / 512 pages) by Umberto Eco

An intellectual mystery set in an Italian monastery in the year 1327.

"Brian Boru: Emperor of the Irish" (1990 / 224 pages) by Morgan Llewellyn

(IRISH historical fiction)

"Lion of Ireland" (1980 / 400 pages) by Morgan Llewellyn

(IRISH historical fiction)

A novel about the life of the Irish hero and High King Brian Boru.

In SCIENCE FICTION, here are some I (Fittings Doc) would recommend:

Ones with **** Read FREE online (or download to Kindle)

Baen FREE Library http://www.baen.com/library/

“Dune” (1965 / 412 pages) by Frank Herbert

(the first book of the “Dune Series)

(Won the Hugo and Nebula Awards.)

"Dorsai" (1959 / 159 pages) by Gordon R. Dickson

(the first book of “The Childe Cycle”)

Deals with genetic drift and specialization, and there effects on humanity as a whole.

(Nominated for the Hugo Award.)

"The Forever War" (1974 / 236 pages) by Joe Haldeman

Deals with the effect of time dilation, on those involved in an interstellar war.

(Won the Hugo and Nebula Awards.)

"Ender's Game" (1985 / 357 pages) by Orson Scott Card

"Speaker for the Dead" (1986 - the sequel to "Ender's Game") by Orson Scott Card

(Both won the Hugo and Nebula Awards.)

"Warriors Apprentice" (1986 / 312 pages) by Lois McMaster Bujold

(the first book of "The Vorkosigan Saga")

After being genetically "damaged" by a bio weapon in his mother's womb, Miles Vorkosigan overcomes prejudice to claim his birthright.

(FOUR other books in the series Won Hugo Awards.)

"On Basilisk Station” (1993 / 448 pages) by David Weber ****

(the first book in the "Honor Harrington" series)

This Space Navy series has a FEMALE lead character. Beyond the Technology of the spacecraft and weapons, the story revolves around interpersonal relationships with which you will be able to identify.

"The Forge" (1991) by S.M. Stirling ****

(the first book of "The General" series)

On a colony planet that has fallen back to medieval technology, a military officer discovers "Battle Central", a 1000 year old computer, that shows him what will happen to the planet without intervention.

"An Oblique Approach" (1998) by Eric Flint ****

(the first book of the "Belisarius" series)

Belisarius, a Greek era general, is aided by a Crystalline based intelligence sent back in time to defeat a plot headed up by a computer based AI sent by disgruntled humans (political losers in the far future) intent on the molding of humanity.

“Mutineers' Moon” (1991) by David Weber ****

(the first book in the “Dahak trilogy”)

“Hammer's Slammers” (1979 / 274 pages) by David Drake ****

“The Tank Lords” (repackaged with some additional stories 1997 / 400 pages) by David Drake

(the first book of the "Hammer's Slammers" series)

"Sten" (1982) by Chris Bunch and Allen Cole

(the first book of "The Sten Chronicles")

Sten is orphaned and then recruited into the Eternal Emperor's "Mantis" covert intelligence corps.

“With the Lightnings” (1998) by David Drake ****

(the first book of the “Republic of Cinnabar Navy (RCN)”/ “Lt. Leary” series)

“The Man Who Never Missed" (1985) by Steve Perry

(the first book of "The Matador" series)

"The Regiment" (1987) by John Dalmas

(the first book of "The Regiment" series)

"The White Regiment" (1987) by John Dalmas

"The Regiment: A Trilogy" (omnibus of "The Regiment", "The White Regiment" and "The Regiment's War"), (2004 / 724 pages) by John Dalmas The planet Tyss has only one resource: soldiers.

They train the White Regiment from children of a non agressive planet who tend to see "war as play".

“Prince of Mercenaries” (1989) by Jerry Pournelle

(the first book of the “The Falkenberg's Legion” series)

“The Widowmaker” (1996) by Mike Resnick

(the fist book of the “The Widowmaker” series)

(Resnick holds the Record for Hugo Award Nominations with 34!!!)

“Out of the Ashes” (1983 / 480 pages) by William W. Johnstone

(first book of “The Ashes” series)

America has been brought to its knees by nuclear apocalypse. Gangs, looters and vandals have seized the streets, while decent citizens have united and are praying for a leader who can protect them. Luckily, one of the survivors is mercenary and tireless patriot, Ben Raines, a man sworn to survive.

Try Cormac McCarthy -- Blood Meridian or the much easier, The Road is what most people start with. Personalty I love Suttree best.

Ender's Game & Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card. This is good sci fi about ideas and what it means to be human, not gadgets.

At Swim, Two Boys by Jamie O'Neill. Amazing book - historical fiction about the Irish Uprising of 1916 and a love story between boys.

Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides. Pulitzer prize winning sweeping historical family epic about a hermaphrodite.

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters. Fun and sexy historical romp about Victorian lesbians.

SCIENCE FICTION Everyone ignores sci-fi but the truth is that some books are nearly half philosophy. Read Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein, Prey by Michael Crichton, and 2001: A Space Odyssey or Rendevous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Plus, I agree that Agatha Christie is a must-read. After Shakespeare and the Bible, she has sold the most number of books worldwide ever. Her best are And Then There Were None, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Murder on the Orient Express

Classics : "The Count of Monte Cristo" and "The Black Tulip" - Alexandre Dumas

Classics : "Candide (and other stories) - Voltaire

Family Saga: " A Dangerous Fortune" - Ken Follett

Historical Fiction: " The Physician" - Noah Gordon

Historical Fiction: " Quo Vadis?" - Henryk Sienkiewicz

Historical Fiction : "Odour of Sanctity" - Frank Yerby

Crime : "The Talented Mr Ripley" /"The Ripley Omnibus" - Patricia Highsmith

Anything by Lois McMaster Bujold -- but I recommend The Curse of Chalion, Paladin of Souls, Komarr or Shards of Honour in particular.

If you like historical fiction, I also recommend any of the Regency romances by Georgette Heyer -- for example The Corinthian, Cotillion, or Devil's Cub. It takes a few chapters to get into the style of her writing, but it's worth it.

Try also Jane Eyre (by Charlotte Bronte -- it's nothing like Wuthering Heights, which is by a different Bronte sister and which is rubbish).

Finally, Cold Comfort Farm (Stella Gibbons) is a classic that mocks overwritten novels mercilessly and is hilarious.

Nathan Lowell's Quarter Share

Scott Sigler's Infected

No Name by Wilkie Collins

The Hornet's Nest by Jimmy Carter

House of Night by PC Cast - But one of the characters are homosexual, but it's not bad and he's really sweet. And he's not overly gay...he's gay, not a fag. (If you understand that.) It's a vampire series, by the way. I wouldn't compare it to Twilight though

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong - I just started that book today. The main character can see ghosts but she doesn't know it. She sees people that other people can't. I'm only on page 20 something though and she hasn't figured out that they are ghosts.

The Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter - It's a series about female spies in training. It's really addictive.

Cirque du Freak is good. The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod is REALLY good (I'm saving up for the 3rd book). Hope I helped.

x

Please, please, PLEASE read The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, I just finished it last night. It's brilliant, beautiful and tragic. She also wrote another book called Her Fearful Symmetry that was pretty decent.