Just finished...

[Robin Carlton]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51zSB1kzXfL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/11-22-63-A-Novel)

...and boy was it good! First Stephen King book I've managed to get through!

Just before starting this one, I finished...

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/510N4oBditL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/Apocalypse-Z-Beginning-Manel-Loureiro)

Which was also REALLY good and I've already pre-ordered the sequel which is set to come out this Fall (can't wait!).

Looking for some book recommendations now since both of these were great and I've no idea what to read. I love all sorts of stuff, but lean toward, sci-fi, mystery, crime, creepy, weird, YA, etc stuffs than the girly romance genres, ie. no jodi picoult or nicholas sparks for me.

Any ideas? What have you guys been reading this summer/year, that you've loved?

R

[Lyd]

Have you read the I Am Number Four series? I just finished the third book. The fourth comes out next month. I've enjoyed them . . . pretty easy reads.

And, I to know a bit about that Stephen King book. I'm mostly wondering how graphic it is with violence/sex/language. Just something I like to know before I dive into my books. :)

[Libby Pritchett]

OH! I'm so glad to hear you liked 11/22/63. That was the first Stephen King book I'd managed to finish, too, but I LOVED it. It seriously ruined other books for me for a few weeks. LOL

I'm not reading much right now. Too much real life going on. Plus, I have a boss who likes to crack the whip and make me work instead of play. ;)

[Robin Carlton]

And, I to know a bit about that Stephen King book. I'm mostly wondering how graphic it is with violence/sex/language. Just something I like to know before I dive into my books. :)

I didnt really think it was any of those things. It's a great story. Not really horror. A sweet romance and a lot of historical storytelling. Probably why I could finish it and havent ever been able to get through his other stuff. It was a great read Lydia, you should check it out for sure!

[Lyd]

I bought it for my kindle ages ago when it was on sale for .99. I just haven't gotten around to reading it yet. :) I've heard tons of good things about it though.

[Darcy Baldwin]

Since you liked Apocalypse Z (which I haven't read), have you read World War Z? I don't do zombies for the most part, and I really liked it.

[maryinaz]

11/22/63 was my all-time favorite book from last year! It's completely different from his other books. More historical (very light on the historical though) fiction and time-travel than anything else. I still haven't found a book that good this year. :/

And I don't remember much of any sex/violence/language in it because I don't like that kind of stuff for the most part.

[Robin Carlton]

Since you liked Apocalypse Z (which I haven't read), have you read World War Z? I don't do zombies for the most part, and I really liked it.

Yep! Ive read it. Apocalypse Z was better I think.

[Darcy Baldwin]

Is it focused on the people dealing..or is it all zombie-ghoulish? I'm not a fan of the zombie-ghoulish thing.

[Robin Carlton]

It's the diary of one guy and what he goes through. Starts out as his blog posts and then later when the power goes out... his handwritten journal day by day and what he experiences. I couldnt put it down. It was a "just one more entry" "just one more" kind of book.

[Libby Pritchett]

See, I started World War Z, but then I abandoned it. It was too... I don't even know the word. I didn't like how "talky" it was. I kept waiting for some action, and I didn't like how the story jumped all over. Granted, I have to be fair and admit that I quit it pretty quickly. I figured I"d wait and see the movie before deciding if I should try again. LOL

[Robin Carlton]

Yeah, I thought WWZ jumped around too much too. Apocalypse Z is much cooler in that you really get to focus on one person and the people/undead he encounters trying to survive. It was MUCH more engaging to me.

[Darcy Baldwin]

Robin - that actually sounds exactly up my alley!!!

Libby - don't even compare the 2. They aren't alike at all. Not one bit. not even one. The book is a look at all the different areas of the world that were affected, done by a journalist interviewing eveyone about what happened from inception to the cause of the outbreak. The movie has Brad Pitt and zombies in it. It's ALL they have in common lol. If you do audio books, you might enjoy the audio better. I did both and really liked the audio a lot.

Robin - a sci-fi/gamer geek kind of book that is really fun is Ready Player One.

[Libby Pritchett]

I'll look for that one on my Kindle. Sounds like my kind of book!

[Libby Pritchett]

Oh and Darcy, that's good to know about the book/movie being different. Maybe I'll try the audio book. I just couldn't make myself keep reading it. LOL It was good, but I wanted to be connected to the people.

[Robin Carlton]

Apoc Z is free in the kindle owner's lending library if thats an option for any of you.

He has a cat that he loves and protect vigilantly. It's just a compelling read. I really enjoyed it and dont know of anyone who has read it, but yeah, loved it. Let me know if either of you check it out.

[Robin Carlton]

Ready Player One looks AWESOME Darcy. I'll pick that one up tonight I think!

[Libby Pritchett]

Well, I don't have Prime, but I went ahead and grabbed it. I had a little money left on a gift card, and it was just $4.99. So, I'll read it soon!

[Robin Carlton]

Yay! Let me know what you think Libby <3

[tanyiadeskins]

Oh, I have Apocalypse Z in my kindle waiting and have not gotten to it, yet. Maybe I will have to go back to it.

Article 5 is also a Dystopian read and it is pretty good. I also just finished The Breeders and that was good as well.

Right now I am reading Unwholly... the second in a series that started with Unwind. Love these.

[tanyiadeskins]

See, I started World War Z, but then I abandoned it. It was too... I don't even know the word. I didn't like how "talky" it was. I kept waiting for some action, and I didn't like how the story jumped all over. Granted, I have to be fair and admit that I quit it pretty quickly. I figured I"d wait and see the movie before deciding if I should try again. LOL

agreed...I rarely leave a book unfinished, but this was one of em!

[Lyd]

I liked Unwind and Unwholly too. When is the third book coming out?

[tanyiadeskins]

I believe it is out and that a fourth one is planned actually

[tanyiadeskins]

oh no, sorry... this is kinda like an in between I saw and thought it was a third

http://www.amazon.com/UnStrung-Unwind-Story-Dystology-ebook/dp/B008CF3PMU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1373810020&sr=8-4&keywords=unwind

the third is coming out in Oct

[DawnMarch]

I will have to try that Stephen King book. I am a big fan of his. I just finished the new one -- Joyland and it was pretty good, though not scary. More of a mystery story.

[Robin Carlton]

I was looking at Joyland too Dawn! Maybe I'll give that a try. Thanks for the recs Tanyia!

Keep em coming if you have ideas chickies!

[DawnMarch]

Robin, Joyland is a very nice story -- takes a while to develop but has a satisfying ending. I enjoyed it -- it was short and felt almost like a long short story if that makes any sense. :)

[MommaTrish]

hmmm... not sure how much you'll like my suggestions, but the books that I've liked most that I've read this year are:
Neverwhere (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9306200-neverwhere) by Neil Gaiman
Graveminder (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5957313-graveminder) by Melissa Marr <-- for you zombie folks
The Last Town on Earth (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/76336.The_Last_Town_on_Earth) by Thomas Mullen
The Cutting Season (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13623785-the-cutting-season) by Attica Locke
(I went with the more grown up books and left out any YA fiction, lol)

[Robin Carlton]

Feel free to share your YA suggestions too! I read Divergent in a day a few weeks ago and it was great! I've also read The Maze Runner / Hunger Games / Mortal Instruments too, so I'm definitely game for that sort of stuff !

[MommaTrish]

Well since I just hit the halfway point on my goal I'm working on a blog post for it, so I'll just share that when I finish. lol

[MommaTrish]

Here you go Robin - http://lifeastheirmom.blogspot.com/2013/07/2013-book-challengei-finally-hit-50.html

[maryinaz]

I've read the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th series on here:
15 Book Series To Read If You Enjoyed "The Hunger Games" (http://www.buzzfeed.com/ariellecalderon/book-series-toead-if-you-enjoyed-the-hunger-games)

[Robin Carlton]

THanks so much Trish and Mary! Great links and reads!

[Libby Pritchett]

Ok, I just finished Apocalypse Z... wow!!!! That was intense and SO good! I also pre-ordered the sequel! Thanks for the recommendation, R. I loved it!!!

[Darcy Baldwin]

Now see, I just finished Apocalypse Z, too, and I still prefer WWZ lol (But maybe because I did the audio version instead of just the book, which gave it more life). I liked it, though, and am passing it along to hubby to read.

[Robin Carlton]

So glad you guys liked it! Maybe we can read the sequel together when it comes out this fall Libby!

[Libby Pritchett]

You bet! I was hoping it would come out just a few days earlier (it's scheduled for oct 8) so that we could read it on the plane back home from Vegas! :D :D :D

Darcy, maybe I need to try WWZ again. I just couldn't get past all the jumping around from one account to another. Is there every any consistency with that book, or is the whole thing just various accounts from random people?

[Darcy Baldwin]

Libby - it's a gathering of a story line to see how the whole thing came to being, and how people dealt with it. I liked it because it was varied. The stories don't all intertwine except for the reporter, but I loved it becuase it was so varied and not a single point of view. But, again, the voice thing may have played a bigger role in how much I liked it.

I love Tom Clancy books because they do the same thing - bounce back and forth and back and forth as they bring a story in together.

Now I need to get out of dystopian/zombies and do something mind-numbingly everyday and get started reading ahead for school books. Mom's summer reading was fun while it lasted!

[maryinaz]

Here's another list: 15 Young-Adult Books Every Adult Should Read (http://mashable.com/2013/07/12/15-young-adult-books-every-adult-shouldead/) I have only heard of one of these books - The Book Thief. (which I have on my Nook and have tried to read but was not able to get into it, I'll try again some day) So I guess I need to check them out.

Although I'm getting through books like molasses right now. :( I fall asleep every time I try to read. :P