Howdy Ags!

I am looking for some book recommendations because I would like to get back into reading (haven't read much of anything since my college days). Just to give you a little background info, I am 28 and have loved reading Harry Potter in the past and have a love of sports (specifically football and baseball). I am leaning towards fiction right now, but could be convinced to try non-fiction as well. Let me know what books y'all would recommend, thanks!

If you like action movies, the Jack Reacher series is the closest to that I've found. Easy reading, too. Like watching tv, really.

The Dresden Files are great if you like Harry Potter.

I'm actually reading book 4 right now.

For non-fiction, I just finished ****oo's Egg by Cliff Stoll. If you have any interest in information security and the history of hacking, this is a great intro. The author tells how he detected a hacker breaking into the computer systems at Berkeley Labs, and the progress of the investigation. This was in 1986-87, before anyone, even the alphabet agencies or military, really cared that much about network security. Fascinating reading.

ETA: LOL, the TexAgs profanity filter decided that the name of a bird commonly used to refer to a type of wall clock is too offensive to be seen. SMH.

They're more historical, but really anything by Erik Larson.

My list of excellent baseball novels in no particular order -
The Brothers K by David James Duncan
The Celebrant by Eric Rolfe Greenberg
The Southpaw and Bang the Drum Slowly by Mark Harris
Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa, The Iowa Baseball Confederacy and Box Socials by W. P. Kinsella
The Natural by Bernard Malamud
The Great American Novel by Philip Roth
The Universal Baseball Association, Inc., J. Henry Waugh, Prop. by Robert Coover
The Curious Case of Sidd Finch by George Plimpton
Play for a Kingdom by Thomas Dyja
The Dixie Association by Donald Hays

Awesome, thanks guys! Can't wait to start knocking these recommendations out!

If you like Harry Potter try another mega-popular fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire. (Game of Thrones TV show)

A Game of Thrones

https://www.amazon.com/Follett-Century-Trilogy-Collection-Eternity/dp/9526529030


https://www.amazon.com/Pillars-Earth-Novel-Kingsbridge/dp/0451166892

Pillars of the earth also has sequels worth a read.

The Honorverse collection will help jump start you in no time for space fiction. Generally easy to read and good pacing throughout.

First book is On Basilisk Station.

The Galactic Football League series by Scott Sigler.

Book 1: The Rookie
Book 2: The Starter
Book 3: The All Pro
Book 4: The MVP
Book 5: The Champion
Boom 6: The Gangster

There are also several novellas...

You can thank me later.

Look guys... said:

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The Galactic Football League series by Scott Sigler.

Book 1: The Rookie
Book 2: The Starter
Book 3: The All Pro
Book 4: The MVP
Book 5: The Champion
Boom 6: The Gangster

There are also several novellas...

You can thank me later.

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These are fun. Also, check out Earthcore!

G Martin 87 said:

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Look guys... said:

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The Galactic Football League series by Scott Sigler.

Book 1: The Rookie
Book 2: The Starter
Book 3: The All Pro
Book 4: The MVP
Book 5: The Champion
Boom 6: The Gangster

There are also several novellas...

You can thank me later.

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These are fun. Also, check out Earthcore!

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and the audible only sequel, Mount Fitz Roy.

His best series outside of the GFL in the Infected trilogy.

Infected
Contagious
Pandemic

If you are interested in fantasy, then there are several great books to start with.

As mentioned, the Dresden Files is a great intro to the fantasy genre



You can never go wrong with Brandon Sanderson (unless you start with Elantris).

I would always recommend starting with Mistborn: The Final Empire. It is book 1 of a trilogy, but is also very "stand alone" 'ish. It is also a great intro into Brandon's Cosmere, which can lead you to his other series, especially his Stormlight Archive series.

If you enjoyed Harry Potter, try picking up The Name of the Wind. By far, the best prose of any fantasy writer.

Broken record now but will also highly recommend The Dresden Files. If it tells you anything, I've read all 16-17 of them.

Also, if you like those, the Iron Druid Chronicles are pretty good as well. Along the similar lines of Dresden - different but same "modern genre" of Sci-Fi set in real life places.

I read the first one and was like, meh.

Also not a fan of supernatural beings, so that might be it too.

lil-stank said:

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The Dresden Files series, by Jim Butcher. The first book is Storm Front, by book three Butcher really hits his stride. Series about a wizard / private investigator who's universe gets exponentially bigger as the series progresses. Lots of great characters.

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The codex alera also by butcher was really entertaining

Terry Pratchett's Discworld series - just about any of them. They're a loosely connected set of stories taking place in a very Britishly funny fantasy world. There's even a magical school in there (well before Harry Potter came around). The Colour of Magic is the earliest book, but the books really hit their stride with any of Mort, Wyrd Sisters, or Guards! Guards!.

Read, All the Light we cannot See.

You'll thank me.

Ready Player One would be a good book to get back into ready. It's easy and entertaining. Just don't read the sequel.

Bruce Almighty said:

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Ready Player One would be a good book to get back into ready. It's easy and entertaining. Just don't read the sequel.

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The sequel was good. Not as good, but good.

Ready Player One is better for those of us who lived thru the 1980s though.

Another good one that has a move, but the book is incredible is The Martian. I literally couldn't put the book down. Artemis is also really good.

Liked Ready Player Two and disliked Dresden...

The Evening and The Morning by Ken Follett is long but really really good. I don't usually like really long books but it holds your attention.

Speaking of Aggie authors, Martha Wells' Murderbot series is great. Start with "All Systems Red". The first 3 are all novella length, so they're quick fun. Bonus: the audiobook versions are also great if you prefer audio. The narrator really brings the "murderbot" to life, so to speak.

DallasTeleAg said:

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Liked Ready Player Two and disliked Dresden...

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I don't think there are werewolves and vampires and ghouls in RP1.

I recommend books about Sherlock Holmes. It is a universal library for people looking for answers.

Have you read Calico Joe by Grisham? The Art of Fielding by Harbach?

No to Grisham, yes to The Art of Fielding, It belongs in the list above.

rwhitlock3 said:

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Howdy Ags!

I am looking for some book recommendations because I would like to get back into reading (haven't read much of anything since my college days). Just to give you a little background info, I am 28 and have loved reading Harry Potter in the past and have a love of sports (specifically football and baseball). I am leaning towards fiction right now, but could be convinced to try non-fiction as well. Let me know what books y'all would recommend, thanks!

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Baseball sucks but one of the more interesting things I've read is Stephen Jay Gould's theory on why there are no more .400 hitters. It's an essay in Full House: The Spread Of Excellence From Plato To Darwin by Gould.

He's a fascinating read in general if you like to read hard science stuff and you should enjoy this one if you like baseball.