As part of my Masters in Creative Writing course this year, I am required to read extensively in my genre (primarily fantasy fiction), as well as any books or genres that will assist in honing my writing skills.
Though I already consider myself a keen reader, this ties in nicely with Australia’s 2012 National Year of Reading and my intention to this year increase the number of books I read, and likewise significantly decrease the number of books in my to-be-read pile.
Admittedly, I’m off to a bad start, with my European travels in January taking a chunk of out of my reading schedule. But I’m back to it with a vengeance, and have set myself a target of 52 books (a book a week) by the end of the year.
I LOVE receiving reading recommendations, so if you have any faves to suggest, don’t hesitate to leave a comment.
Here we go!
- The Roving Party – Rohan Wilson
- The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
- Elemental Magic – Angela Wallace
- Thyla – Kate Gordon
- A Wise Man’s Fear – Patrick Rothfuss
- The Last Unicorn – Peter S. Beagle
- The Australian Long Story – Mandy Sayer (Ed.)
- Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
- Draykon – Charlotte E. English
- 20 Master Plots – Ronald B. Tobias
- Howl’s Moving Castle – Diana Wynne Jones
- The Bad Beginning – Lemony Snicket
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone – J.K. Rowling
- Readers in Wonderland – Deborah O’Keefe
- A Storm of Swords: Steel & Snow – George R.R. Martin
- Enchanted Glass – Diana Wynne Jones
- A Princess of Mars – Edgar Rice Burroughs
- The Gods of Mars – Edgar Rice Burroughs
- Fifty Shades of Grey – E.L. James
- The Dog Stars – Peter Heller
- The Warlord of Mars – Edgar Rice Burroughs
- The Blue Cathedral – Cameron Hindrum
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – J.K. Rowling
- The Game – Diana Wynne Jones
- Between the Lines – Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer
- Seraphina – Rachel Hartman
- Metro Winds – Isobelle Carmody
- Myths and Legends of Britain and Ireland – Richard Jones
- A Storm of Swords: Blood & Gold – George R.R. Martin
- Ready Player One – Ernest Cline
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – J.K. Rowling
- Writers on Writing – James Roberts, Barry Mitchell, Roger Zubrinich (Editors)
- The Casual Vacancy – J.K. Rowling
- The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
- Catching Fire – Suzanne Collins
- Mockingjay – Suzanne Collins
- The Fellowship of the Ring – J.R.R. Tolkien
- Every Day – David Levithan
storytelling nomad 
If you haven’t already done so, you should read the Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. I rank it as one of the best fanatsy books ever written. You should also see if you can get your hands on some of the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser stories by Fritz Leiber, they’re basically what founded the whole sword and sorcery concept for fiction.
Although not fanatsy you should also read Pattern Recognition by William Gibson, simply because it is amazing.
Yay! Recommendations! Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. I’ll jot them down right now.
Pingback: 2012 National Year of Reading | storytelling nomad
I used to read; then I used not to. Then I got an iPad, and I slowly became once more used to it. The most rewarding thing about it is that, in browsing by genre, I have no idea what I’m getting into. It could be one of the world’s best known books, or some trite nonsense penned by a delusional geek in an upstairs office (hmm…). What I’ve discovered so far:
1. Perversity – Francis Carco
2. Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
3. Elric The Stealer of Souls – Michael Moorcock
4. His Majesty’s Dragon – Naomi Novik
5. 2BR02B – Kurt Vonnegut
6. Dracula – Bram Stoker
A whole bunch of others, too – but they were awful. And yes, I’d heard of Dracula, but surprisingly hadn’t ever read it.
What a fantastic way to discover new books! And even the awful ones must be a good reminder to appreciate the amazing ones.
It reminds me of when I used to go to a second hand record store and pick the first one whose cover attracted me. The mystery of discovery, sometimes, is as exciting as the tale itself.
Oh, and, uh, though it won’t be finished until this summer, you could always read “The Redemption of Erâth”; it’s this incredibly awesome take by a little-known author who is poised overtake Tolkien as the godfather of high fantasy. *cough* shameless plug *cough*. :-P
Brilliant! Thank you, I’ll be sure to check it out. http://redemptionoferath.wordpress.com/2012/02/19/book-1-chapter-1-we-are-introduced-to-erath/ for anyone else interested in starting at Chapter One of The Redemption of Erâth.
Aww…thank you!
Pingback: Newsflash! | storytelling nomad
Pingback: Reader’s Block | storytelling nomad