What are some good books for someone who is 23?

I'm 23 years old too and these are some fantasy books that I loved. I don't care for Sci Fi too much though so I don't have many of those to suggest.

Sci Fi suggestions:

Dune

Fantasy:

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (Hands down one of my favorite books very well written.)

Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin (I didn't like the book so much becuae he kills most of my avorite characters. You've probably already read this but it is for adult readers.)

Dresden Files by Jim Butcher (THis one can go either way you'll love it or hate it. Harry Dresden is my favorite book character of any and it ma have juvinial points in the book but it has twists and turns in the plot that I couldn't even pradict. Highly recomend.)

The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks (Very very dark and violent with curruption and rape sadly it has true love bull crap but it is tempered down until the end of the book. Still is a good series.)

The Farseer trilogy, The Liveship Trilogy, and The Rainwild Chronicles by Robin Hobb (Read them in that order because they take place in the same world...though you wouldn't know it until you read Golden Fool ((read this trilogy last))

All of these are saphisticated books for adult readers since it contains sex, violance, and strong language.

If I would start with one book it would be Name of the Wind then The Way of Kings and then Robbin Hobb's trilogys. Those are by far the best in the list.

P.S. DON'T READ HOUSE OF NIGHT!!! I read like three books and hated myself for it. It was written by a 15 year old girl and her mother. It's like twilight, harry potter, and a bad soap crashed together in the worst way. It SUCKS. The vampires have to be on a diet of healthy foods or else they'll die WTF.

You could try out the series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, it falls on the Fantasy genre, more like medieval fantasy with a mix of dragons, and politics. The series itself has held great for the past many years and already has become a video game and a t.v. show which is well known for the name "A Game of Thrones" - if ever you watched it, the books are way better. George R.R. Martin has produced already five books, and each one is bigger than the next, book 1 has got 800+ pages, and the second carries a hefty 1000+ and so on, and what's great is when you start to get into the story, the volume of it wouldn't really matter because you'd get really hooked and just turn one page after another, best fantasy saga so far.

Here are some that I know of that you may like, just check out more of it yourself on google or wherever : -

The Farseer Trilogy - Robin Hobb ( There are two series that go along with the same world "The Farseer Trilogy" has been built based on, and that would be The Tawny Man Trilogy, and The Liveship Traders trilogy"

Mistborn Trilogy - Brandon Sanderson

A Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan

Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling (This may be for kids, which to many think, but it's also great for adults! )

The Dragonlance saga - Margaret Weis, and Tracy Hickman ( So this whole saga contains a lot of books which most probably get you hooked, especially when read on a chronological order, since you get to live along with the characters until the end, but that's just what I felt about it )

The Inheritance Cycle - Christopher Paolini

And if you really want to know even more, I've found this site while searching for books like you are and helped me a ton, lots of veteran readers are there to give advice on what to read and what not to read. Here it is > > bestfantasybooks.com

Hope this answer helped!

The Hunger Games is far more a book for a 23 year old than a kid. I'm 23 myself. You can enjoy any type of book at any age. Open one up and see if you like it.

Lot's of good sci-fi books

Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series wil keep you reading for a long while

The Game of Thrones series by George RR Martin is good and very popular thanks to the tv series

You might also like The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

I really enjoyed ...the House of Night Novels by P.C. and Kristin Cast. Kelley Armstrong writes some great supernatural fantasies. I like the Carpathian vampire society that Christine Feehan developed in her Dark series. Loved the leopard series, too.

If you want a light fantasy that's completely entertaining to the last page, you might try, The Crooked Swan by Julie Helm

Good luck.

A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin (also made into a show called Game of Thrones on HBO)

The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, The Children of Hurin, all by J.R.R. Tolkien

In MILITARY Science Fiction, here are some I (Fittings Doc) would recommend:

"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.)

"Hammer's Slammers" (1979) by David Drake

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

“With the Lightnings” (1998) by David Drake

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

"Sten" (1982 / 279 pages) 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.

"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.

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

(the first book of the “Dune Series)

(Won the Hugo and Nebula Awards.)

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

(the first book of "The Vorkosigan Saga")

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

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

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

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

This Space Navy series has 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.

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"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”)

“Insurrection” (1993) by David Weber & Steve White

(the first book in the “Starfire” series)

“Prince of Sunset” (1998) by Steve White

(the first book in the “Prince of Sunset” series)

“The Last Legion” (1999) by Chris Bunch

(the first book of “The Last Legion” series – Space/Military)

“Ensign Flandry” (1966) by Poul Anderson

(the fist book, by internal chronology, of the “Terran Empire period of Dominic Flandry” 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)

“Legion Of The Damned” (1993) by William C. Dietz

(the first book of the “Legion” series)

"Starship Troopers" (1959 / 263 pages) by Robert A. Heinlein

(won the Hugo Award 1960)

“The Rim of Space” (1961) by A. Bertram Chandler

(first book of the “Rim World” / “John Grimes” series)

"Officer-Cadet" (1998) by Rick Shelley

(first book of the "Dirigent Mercenary Corps" series)

Lon Nolan's progression through the ranks of The Dirigent Mercenary Corps. Cheated out of his chance to serve in his home land's armed forces. He was given a second chance at a soldier's life, as a professional soldier on the colony world of Dirigent. Dirigent's sole industry is war.

“The Buchanan Campaign” (1995) by Rick Shelley

(first book of the “Second Commonwealth War” series)

“The Lost Fleet: Dauntless” (2006) by Jack Campbell (pseudonym for John G. Hemry)

(first book of “The Lost Fleet” series)

Two competing human space cultures clash.