Looking for Recommendations: Romance & Horror & Non-Fiction
 

Well, you mentioned that you liked horror and as a Stephen King fan, I immediately thought of him. If you're willing to branch out from these genres and you enjoy Stephen King's writing, I'd definitely recommend the Dark Tower series, if you haven't already read it. It's more sci-fi/fantasy, but it does have some horror elements to it. I loved the series as a whole, but if you find yourself put off by the first (The Gunslinger) just try to get through it, because it gets better by the second book. The series is one of my all time favorites.

The Stand is one of my favorite books. Trashcan Man FTW!

Let's see:

Horror
The Monk (Matthew Gregory Lewis)
Dracula (Bram Stoker) <--have you read it? There is a surprising amount of vampire action right near the beginning, it's great.
The Silence of the Lambs (Thomas Harris)
The Turn of the Screw (Henry James)
In the Miso Soup (Ryu Murakami) <--very gross
Sphere (Michael Crichton) <--don't actually know if this is considered horror or sci-fi or what, and I don't normally like his books, but I like this one for some reason.


For romance, anything by Sarah Dessen is good in my opinion, or Memoirs of a Geisha.

Are there any books that you would recommend?

Thank you! ^_^ I like yours too. It's something I eat. lol

When I read The Stand I think I was twelve, and I had a bit of a crush on Stu Redman, I think. I liked Larry too. Man, I liked so many of those characters!

I liked Memoirs of a Geisha too. It was really well written, I thought. But wasn't it fiction, just sort of inspired by a real lady or something?

If you like non-fiction I'm sure you would like Into The Wild. It's very good. I couldn't put it down.

Hmm, for romance try The Raging Quiet by Sheryl Jordan. It's super sweet. Made me cry.

You could read the "exercism of emily rose" it a true story

I would suggest Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter novels. They're a nice balance between the mushy stuff and action, plus the characterization is some of the most realistic that I've seen in a romance novel series.

For the romance, then I'll list my favorite authors here...They're a mix of those set in the paranormal, historical and normal world, and some are lemony...But I assure you one thing, there are no wimpy heroines here....

- Lara Adrian
- Harper Allen
- Keri Arthur
- Suzanne Brockman
- Kresley Cole
- Mary Janice Davidson
- Christina Dodd
- Suzanne Enoch
- Christine Feehan
- Linda Howard
- Sabrina Jeffries
- Iris Johansen
- Katie MacAlister
- Sherrilyn Kenyon/Kinley MacGregor
- Lisa Kleypas
- Shelly Laurenston
- Cathy Maxwell
- Karen Marie Moning
- Michelle Pillow
- Amanda Quick
- Julia Quinn
- Gena Showalter
- Kerrelyn Sparks
- JR Ward

If you like self-help nonfiction, how about this book -- it's an interesting read whether you are shy or outgoing...

For romance, I could recommend a bunch of authors, but for something paranormal-ish, go with Sherrilyn Kenyon's books.

For the record, I own a little under 100 romance novels. : )

I just posted this link in another thread. It's a compendium of all the romance novels I own, so if you guys want to look through the list, feel free to do so.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?...thkey=CMyiqr0L

Oooh! Non-fiction request. I know so few people who actually ask for non-fiction recommendations.
I recommend all of the following as either very funny, very informative, very insightful, or all three:


Non Fiction:

1. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
Mary Roach is a very witty, very thorough researcher. This book details all of the things that happen, or can happen, after death-- but it isn't creepy. I promise. There's the scientific and pointedly gross-- the things that physically happen. Then there's a ton of detail on how people address the body after the person is gone: cremation, recycling (did you know in some countries you can ask to be made into fertilizer?), organ donation. It's all there in vivid detail. Don't read this on a plane or during dinner.

2. Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach
Hilarious. Also informative. Interesting tidbits: during one period, in France, a husband's inability to satisfy his wife in bed was considered grounds for divorce. Here's the catch-- the claim had to be reviewed by a court. Other things, such as the ability to remain 'at attention', were also observed by inspectors of the court to ensure that the wife's claims were valid. Those poor, poor men! When you read chapters about female satisfaction, though, you pity the boys less.


In case you hadn't noticed a theme, Mary Roach loves choosing the most uncomfortable subjects and delving into them openheartedly. The resultant works actually aren't uncomfortable. They're engaging.

3. Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell
Discusses where quick first impressions come from, and why they are more intelligently formed than we think. Blink also discusses the mistakes/prejudices which inform our first impressions.

4. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
The use of small changes to make big impacts socially. My description of it is bland, but this book is wonderful-- it discusses Sesame Street, Cigarettes, Graffiti, crime and social change, all without seeming like a tribute to attention deficit disorder. When you get to the point about "The Law of the Few," note that my friends could never decide whether I was a maven or a connector. After babbling all of this? -- maybe I'm a maven.

5. Outliers: Why Some People Succeed and Some Don't by Malcolm Gladwell
If you like his other two, may as well read this one! I didn't like it quite to the degree of its sister-books, but it was interesting. Bonus points for the Beatles and Bill Gates. Interesting info about the non-physical aspect of success in sports too.


6. Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor on the American Black Market by Eric Schlosser
Not uplifting at all, but deeply informative. The title describes the contents ably. By the same author as Fast Food Nation

7. Freakanomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
Like a combination of Reefer Madness with The Tipping Point. The two "Stevens" who authored this book attempt to explain some very pressing questions about modern society that often come up in public policy-- crime and drug peddling, for example. Their answers to the "why" of certain phenomena are almost never what you expect. This is a very light read, considering it's nonfiction-- you can get through it quickly.

6. On Combat The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and in Peace by Dave Christensen Grossman, Loren W. Christensen
So interesting! Contains information that anyone working in protective/combat fields (police, soldiers, bodyguards) should know-- as well as anyone who feels fear or has ever been near a gun. Grossman talks about the body's physical responses to fear in an in-depth way. Often, the book can seem heavy handed. It's definitely subjective: you can easily pinpoint a Christian, conservative, Pro-War view point through certain parts this book (not to suggest that those things go together). That's just the way that these men cope with being soldiers, however, so I didn't take the subjective nature of the narrative personally. Meanwhile! So many interesting facts and references to studies on the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Neat.



Of the above books-- I hope you will find at least one which interests you!
The most objective authors are Gladwell and Roach, but all of these books fully captured my attention.





If you think you can stand a dense, densedense historical narrative, you may also be interested in a book by Laura Hillenbrand. With a natural gift for research, Hillenbrand painstakingly wrote Unbroken: A World War II Account of Survival, Resilience and Redemption while confined to her house. A victim of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, the author goes for months sometimes confined to the house due to an illness that leaves her unable to perform most basic activities. She can be drained of energy sometimes simply walking down the hall. Despite this, her research is magnificent-- she uncovers sources that no one else dreamed of, conducts ridiculously thorough interviews, and knows her subjects and time periods back to front.
Because she is such a damned good researcher, Hillenbrand writes nonfiction like a novel. Unbroken is the narrative biography of an Olympic runner who started life as the most loathed hoodlum in his hometown, gained fame as an amazing athlete, and was sent to war before his highest athletic dreams could be realized. Instead of heading to the 1940's Olympics, which were cancelled on account of the war, Louis Zamperini became a bombardier in the United States Airforce. He participated in successful missions. Was a hero. His plane crashed. He was stranded at sea for longer than any man previously and, eventually, became a Prisoner of War in Japan. These are not fun things-- but the story has so much heart and laughter in addition to tragedy. Rarely would I recommend a biography-- but this biography reads like the best of stories, all the more amazing because the dialogue, the heartbreaks and the people are all real.


Update: I almost forgot! Survival of the Prettiest by Nancy Ectoff is really, really engaging. It discusses what we consider attractive, why, and what advantages can be garnered in society based on an attractive aesthetic-- all supported by many, many psychological studies. Really interesting book.