Nooks, and give me books to read

[Madame Adequate]

Excellent sci-fi which you may like if you're a fan of Stephenson can be found in Charles Stross. His first book, Singularity Sky, is fun but a bit unpolished - later stuff gets much better, and I thought Iron Sunrise which I just finished a couple of days ago was pretty stellar.

I cannot recommend Iain M. Banks strongly enough (same person as Iain Banks, but the M. is included on his sci-fi stuff). I couldn't get into Feersum Endjinn but I absolutely love, love, love The Culture novels, it contains two of my favorite books ever (Excession and Use of Weapons) and they're all pretty great. I wouldn't start with the first book though, Consider Phlebas is a real bastard to get into without knowing the universe; The Player of Games is generally regarded as the best one to start with.

Of course, you could look to a lot of older authors here as well. I'm currently reading The Drowned World by J. G. Ballard, and it's gripping stuff. Pohl wrote good works, I'm especially a fan of The Coming of the Quantum Cats. Obviously there's the Big Three - Asimov, Clarke, and Heinlein, and you can really choose damn near anything by any of them and you'll strike gold. (I would especially recommend Rendesvous with Rama by Clarke, it's one of the best instances of really creating a sense of 'alienness' I've ever come across.) I would also stick Brian Aldiss into a list of the great masters of science fiction, especially in light of his insufficiently well-known and well-regarded Helliconia books.

Oh, and if you can get Before the Golden Age, edited by Asimov, do so. It's a collection of early sci-fi short stories; some are okay, a few are good, and one or two are real finds (I'm thinking of Charles R. Tanner's Tumithak stories here specifically).

I'll second Aaron's suggestion of Le Guin. I'm a big fan of her Earthsea novels. Also consider Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy, which I've not yet got around to reading but have heard great things about.

[Raistlin]

You could complete the Dragonlance collection. They have a torrent with all of them on Demonoid.

I am ashamed that you did not think I had already found and downloaded that. Though I've already read most of the good ones.

Thanks for the additional suggestions, everyone. I'm hoping to get started on some of these later this week.

EDIT: I'll have to look into some of those sci-fi books, Huxley. I've liked some of what I've bothered to read (though Stephenson is hardly typical sci-fi, I have read bits of Heinlein and Asimov), but I just haven't yet bothered to delve much deeper into the genre.

[Ouch!]

Has the Nook gotten better with the slew of firmware updates since its release? When I was working at Barnes and Noble, we had numerous people coming in each day complaining about some malfunction or another, but I haven't kept up with the machine since I left for my current job.

As far as suggestions go, I recently read The Gunslinger, the first in Stephen King's Dark Tower series. Was certainly interesting and might be worth a try. I was planning on reading more, but then my roommate dumped The Wheel of Time on me and I haven't read much else since.

[Bunny]

I just remembered a science fiction author that was mentioned to me several years back: Alastair Reynolds. I haven't read any of his books myself, but when I looked a few of them up for myself they seemed like they could be interesting enough. The feedback on them was certainly positive.

If anyone has read them, give me some feedback possibly? I might look into them further myself.

Sidenote: Raistlin, what sites are you using to get these? PM me links if you could >_>

[Shlup]

Has the Nook gotten better with the slew of firmware updates since its release? When I was working at Barnes and Noble, we had numerous people coming in each day complaining about some malfunction or another, but I haven't kept up with the machine since I left for my current job.

Yeah. Version 1.3 added a bunch of new features (a web browser, for one) and as of version 1.4 everything seems pretty solid.

[Freya]

The Obsidian Chronicles by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Freya got me into this series. I've only just started the first book but it's really good so far.

Yeah that. Read that.

[The Man]

I can vouch for the Mars trilogy; I got about halfway through the first book two years ago and it's superb, but I got interrupted reading it because, you guessed it, of school. I lent it out to a friend for the time being and thus far he has seconded my initial impression.

I really do need to read Iain M. Banks. And more Le Guin - the only thing of hers I've read thus far has been The Dispossessed. I need to read the entire Hainish cycle and all of the Earthsea novels.

[Raistlin]

I downloaded Name of the Wind first and started reading it. It's pretty good so far, but a little slow to get going; I'm perhaps 120 pages into it and it's felt like most exposition, though not boring exposition. The writing quality is really good.

More notable to report, I've read on my Nook for a couple of hours now, and it's been very comfortable. Well worth it.

[The Man]

There isn't really all that much action in The Name of the Wind, but the superb writing quality and characterization more than make up for it in my opinion. Apparently part of the reason he's revising the later books in the series is to add somewhat more action.

[Shlup]

If you'll allow me a case recommendation, this is the style I have and I very much enjoy propping my Nook like a picture frame when I need my hands free.

Amazon.com: JAVOedge Tweed Flip Style Case for the Barnes & Noble Nook: Electronics

[Rye]

I found a really nice ampersand Nook case and that makes me want to buy a Nook now. I really have my priorities in order, don't I?

Uh, I'd recommend Margaret Atwood's The Year of the Flood. Part dystopic, part of an insight into end of the world religions, part fantastical. I absolutely adore this book. I think you'd like it. If you like it, read Oryx and Crake.

[The Man]

That reminds me, I still need to get a case for my nook.

[Raistlin]

If you'll allow me a case recommendation, this is the style I have and I very much enjoy propping my Nook like a picture frame when I need my hands free.

Amazon.com: JAVOedge Tweed Flip Style Case for the Barnes & Noble Nook: Electronics

The reviews are all 100% positive, so I went ahead and bought it. It looks very nice.

I am very happy with the apparent quality of the recommendations so far.

[Shlup]

I got the purple cherry blossom one. Manny, get the cork one. Then we'll be triple cool.

I'm about halfway through Stephenie Meyer's The Host and have decided I like it. That's sci-fi, right??

[Raistlin]

I am not reading Stephenie Meyer.