this post was submitted on 07 Sep 2024
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What books do you consider must reads? (beehaw.org)
submitted 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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So basically I was unschooled, and the amount of books I've read in my life is embarrassingly low. It was never emforced like in a school, and with my family's religious hangups, I never tried getting into new things because I never knew what would be deemed "offensive".

But I'm always interested when I hear people talk about both storycraft and also literary criticism, so I want to take an earnest stab at getting into books.

No real criteria, I don't know what I like so I can't tell you what I'm looking for, other than it needs to be in English or have an English translation. Just wanna know what y'all think would make good or important reading.

ETA holy shit thanks for all the suggestions! Definitely gonna make a list

ETA if I reply extremely late it's because it took me this long to get a library card in my new locale.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (3 children)

The best science fiction has to offer:

Metro 2033

Sphere

Jurassic Park

Roadside Picnic

Metamorphosis

Add from Stephen King:

Night Shift

4 Minutes to Midnight

(Both are novellas/story collections)

And also:

The Call of Cthulhu and other weird tales

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Your "best of sf" doesn't include many recognized classics. That's weird. No LeGuin, no Bester?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

I'm a week late but I never specified classics! I kept my request vague for a reason, I'm looking for variety. :) So I appreciate the recs.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Michael Crichton in a list of "best sci-fi"? Really? He just does mass market pulp. It can be entertaining, in the same way a Transformers movie can, but it hardly qualifies as "best".

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 months ago

I’ve read some of Crichton’s other books, not all but a few, and I get it. I wouldn’t rate them so high. But I don’t consider these two to be that kind of book.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

I agree with more than one of these, but I would call out The Metamorphosis as one that everybody should read. You can appreciate it at any age (well, within reason--maybe not for the 8-year-olds), it's dramatic and captivating, and it's short.

I always try to recommend books of short stories to my friends who like to read but don't have much time for it.