Book Rec Thread

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Recommend a good book. Just don't forget the following:

1. Title of book (or lead character's name if it's a series)
2. Author
3. Brief summary
4. What makes it one of the better books you've read
5. Fiction or Nonfiction?

Examples:
1. Garlic and Saphires
2. Ruth Reichl
3. A food critic disguises herself in an effort to have honest dining experiences.
4. I liked her writing style.
5. Nonfiction

1. The Emporor of Scent
2. Chandler Burr
3. About Luca Turin
4. It's a fun science book. I liked the writing style.
5. Nonfiction

1. Olympos & Illium
2. Dan Simmons
3. Humanity far in the future is nothing like what it used to be or what we would be familiar with. Hockenberry, a recreated historian, is used by the Olympian Gods to study the Achaen-Trojan war they have replicated on the surface of Mars. Moravecs, a bio-mechanical and still-evolving offshoot of humanity, living around Jupiter and other solar system bodies past the belt, discover something amiss on Mars and Earth and go to investigate. Harman and other humans on Earth, struggle to survive in the last vestiges of human society and civilization as it's threatened by several sources.
4. There are numerous things in the story I liked. Everything was well thought out. Initially I saw the series as merely good, on par with Simmons other series the Hyperion Cantos. That was until I got to where Harman calls the Post-Humans, Prospero, and Moira on how the pinnacle of human developement was really stupid for the really stupid choices they made, and all they could come back with was Harman was too immature to know better. Then I loved the story. I realized all throughout, every single character from the most powerful to the lowest was still human, still flawed, and very much fallible.
5. Fiction

1. Confessions of a D-List Supervillian
2. Jim Bernheimer
3. Mechani-Cal, the villian, is the last human on Earth not under control of a hive-mind unleased by accident on the world. He does his best to survive and free humanity from the hive-mind. Full of comedy, decent action, love triangles, drama.
4. The comedy. Mechani-Cal is actually a likeable guy from my point of view. I enjoyed a lot of the mechanics used in the story to make everything work out where most other superhero genre's fall short.
5. Fiction

1. Yukikaze/Rei Fukai
2. Chōhei Kambayashi
3. Earth was attacked 30 years ago by aliens, later called the Jam. Earth pushes them back through the portal they used and now operate offensively on the Jam's home turf. Rei Fukai, pilots the airplane Yukikaze, in a unit on the Jam homeworld dedicated to intelligence gathering.
4. Well thought out and plausible examples of how computer/AI and humans would interact, think, and operate in a combat or hazardous environment. Action is good. I would consider it hard science fiction but it's also a mystery and the two genres are combined well by Kambayashi.
5. Fiction
Notes: There are three books in the series. Only two have been translated into English. So I haven't read the 3rd book yet because I don't read Japanese.

1. David Copperfield
2. Charles Dickens
3. It follows the life, both struggles and triumphs, of a man named David Copperfield, from his childhood through his early adult life. He goes on a journey that includes a very difficult childhood, the struggles and mistakes that he makes as a young adult in the world, and finally the happiness that he finds later in life.
4. In my opinion, the book paints an extremely realistic portrayal of life and the challenges that many of us face. The novel contains many memorable characters who are all very believable, and paints a good depiction of life in England at the time. The book contains both the happiest and saddest moments that I have ever read. It contains some of my favorite quotations in literature. The book makes downright excellent use of foreshadowing - it leaves you guessing as to what will happen next, and wanting more.
5. Fiction


Additionally, there was a TV adaptation in 1999. Many, if not most, of the lines in the movies are direct quotations from the book - most instances where things were changed were simply due to the time constraints of a movie. So, if you are thinking of reading the book but aren't quite sure yet, you can watch the movie and decide since they follow the book very closely. There are other versions, but the 1999 version is by far the best and closest to the book in ym opinion.