I'm looking to improve my own writing as an aspiring (and amateur) fanfic writer, and for that to come true, reading a good book is a must.
So I was wondering if anypony have a suggestion for a novel you've read, something that has not only helped you in your own writing style, but captivated you as well. Although my preferences range from: dark, sad, mystery, epic, thrillers, romance and mythology. I'll read just about anything if you think its worth it

906054 The Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers.

Upheaval Breaking Point and Reckoning. I love them both.

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Well, you can't go wrong with reading some classics.

Stuff like: Don Quixote, H.P. Lovecraft's stuff, Charles Dickens, etc.

906054 The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien.

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A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engele has been a big influence on me. it's the most imaginative piece of writing, and the sci-fi theme being written by a deeply religious author makes for an interesting perspective. I think by this point, I've read it at least 20 times.

The Stand.

A Song of Ice and Fire.

Sir Apropros of Nothing.

I have to say, for an epic-fantasy-adventure book, the Wheel of Time series. You don't have to read the whole series (which is a lot) to appreciate the author's storytelling and rich writing style. I base any fiction I write on his style, his method of drawing the scene for the reader, setting the tone and buffing the story making for a deep read, that while lengthy, retains no fluff.
Though I will be honest, this story is for the LONG haul, from The Eye of the World all the way to A Memory of Light is quite a trip, so do not expect to finish anything without some commitment (though the storyline isn't really necessary to appreciate method alone).

The classics. Choose any of them.
And if you really plan to devote your life to the art of writing, read all of them.

906106 Well, not everything written for kids is excellent - the reason the books you listed are still around and read is that they were among the 10 percent (and if you don't know what that means, go read up on Sturgeon's Law sometime ).

Anyway, speaking as a German, I'd be remiss not to mention Michael Ende's body of work here. I'm not sure about the quality of the English translations, but if you can get your hands on Momo, The Night of Wishes and of course The Never-Ending Story (yes, kids, it was a book first! And the movie is only the book's first half!), by all means do so. The ending of The Never-Ending Story is among the best I've ever seen.

I highly suggest reading something by Brandon Sanderson. He has a free ebook up on his site, one I've yet to set down the time to read, but his mastery of world-building and character development is bar none. The Mistborn Trilogy, The Way of Kings, the latest Wheel of Time books, each has drawn me in and kept me mesmerized until I was through.

The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix

Old story I only read once, and just downloaded again today

Basic summary: A young girl is given the old tools of her father's trade: The tools of the Abhorsen, a necromancer who works to keep the dead at rest to keep evil powers from using necromancy to spread death and destruction.

From what I remember, it was a pretty good yarn, I just need to reread it again. Speaking of which...

If you want some wild and insane fantasy, might I point you in the direction of China Mieville. "Perdido Street Station" lingered in the back of my mind long after I finished it.

Anything by Neil Gaiman is golden, too, in my humble.

Influences on my writing style could be attributed to Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Christopher Moore, et al.

The Dresdon Files is a good series. Think urban detective. With magic. And creatures of the fae. And vampires. And werewolves. And demons.And a great big goddamn dog named 'Mouse.'

And for the love of God, it's 'anybody.' Doing that sort of thing is far beyond creepy.

Acorna: Adventures of the Unicorn Girl
It's a 7 book; space traveling, comming of age story with intergalatic wars, time travel and just a smidge of romance in the last 2 books, it starts from her todler years. And would be good for inspiration for an anthromorph fic.
the Author is a linguistic anthropologist, she understands the origins of language. There are litterally 3 original alien languages, she created.

Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence. Its the first in a series but I've yet to read the rest of them

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Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I can't gush about it enough. Ender's Shadow is quite excellent as well.

I'd also recommend On Writing by Stephen King. It's part autobiography, part manual for improving your craft. I know you're looking for novels, but it qualifies for both helping me improve and holding my attention captive.

If that interests you, another would be The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. If you ever have trouble with writer's block, motivation, passion, or whatever else have you, this book tells you why and how to defeat those obstacles.

Hope that helps!

As a child I grew up reading The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, who even though isn't the most famous or greatest of writers, is my favourite so far. I absolutely love the way he describes and sets the scene throughout the series. Great read.

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Percy Jackson & The Olympians

Genre: Action, adventure, drama, Greek mythology

1984 by George Orwell

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Do you like SciFi? If so, I'd highly recommend Hyperion by Dan Simons. It's one of the best works of SciFi I've ever read, and it's rather unorthodox in its story telling techniques... and manages to do them well. There's a lot any writer can learn from reading this book, and it's not only an example of how to pull off genre and world building well, but how also how to tell a story in general.
If SciFi isn't your thing, and cute animals are (which I'm assuming is the case since you're on this site), then I'd recommend Watership Down. It's one of the most intense stories I've ever read and it's about bunny rabbits.

906054 Orson Scott Card's Enchantment changed my life.
So did Lisey's Story by Stephen King, and his Dark Tower Books and Salem's Lot

And also! Perelandra and Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis are great old sci fi.

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Even if you've already read it in school, look over it again, paying particular attention to the rhythm and descriptive language Fitz uses. That story's a 47,000-word beat, and I can dance to it.

If you're looking for something darker, Johnny Got his Gun is a thrilling read with a terrifyingly poignant plot. I'll say this--you will fear rats and democracy after reading it.

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i remember reading that story for class. The comparison of some of that stuff is just crazy. I'd say what but that'd spoil the surprise.

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Im actually reading that right now. Pretty good and some of the stuff he cites is absolutely hilarious.

I'll throw my weight behind Sanderson, as well as Brent Weeks. Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller series is amazing as well.

My number one recommendation, however, will always be The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, by Stephen Donaldson. His mastery of language is unbelievable, and if you can manage to slog through the dryer sections, the trilogies as a whole retain an almost unparalleled sense of accomplishment and meaning.

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TOOT-TOOT FOR PRESIDENT!

My novel, in a few months.

906054 Posleen War Series
Most things by David Weber.
The Damned Trilogy
I Am Legend
Out of the Dark
Dozens more but too lazy to find 'em.

906054 There is a series made by Jasper Fforde, it is named The Thursday Next Series. The first book is named The Eyre Affair.
This series is a huge, clever fourth-wall joke. I love them.

Thumbs up to Gaiman, Sanderson, kinda mixed feelings on G.R.R.M.... can't stand Robert Jordan.

If you haven't read The Last Unicorn do yourself a huge favor and do so. It's short and wonderful.

906054 Okay, you've got a bunch of recommendations and I agree with just about all of them, so you probably don't need another...

...but here it is: John Dies at the End by David Wong. It's dark, it's funny, and it's meaningful. Two slackers are all that stand between our reality and an extradimensional invasion.

Also, it was originally written on the Internet and posted for free as a web serial. The author later got a book deal and even a movie (but the film, while still pretty good, cuts out over half the story and dumbs down the ending a bit, so start with the book). If you read his comments at the end of the book, it's kind of inspiring for would-be writers who are right now just throwing their words up online for fun.

Mostly though you should read the kinds of stories you like. Don't worry too much about what is "good" writing. If it's being sold, and people are actually buying it, then the author is doing something right and you can learn from him/her.

And Then There Were None, by Agatha Christie.

It's a mystery/whodunit, and it's a fantastic one. The characters are great, the mystery is fascinating, there's great suspense, and it has a really juicy, dark tone to it. You'd definitely love it.

906339 Like pale gold, my friend. Like pale gold.

The Hunger Games Triology. It provides a very intresting commentry on how reality t.v. can blind us to reality.

Well, reading in of itself is, I believe, a must for any writer. But you can read basically anything you want. Its not so much the content of what you read, so much as the act of reading itself. However, you need to read well. Try and guess the symbolism or ideas the author is trying to convey, look deep into the characters of the story, note writing structures the author uses and, yes, look up the words you do not know.

But, if you are looking for a good read to help influence your writing, I recommend Lord of the Flies by William Golding or Call of the Wild by Jack London, or a C.S. Lewis Novel of any kind, seeing as he was a phenomenal writer.

Hope that helps,
-Power to the Bronys

906845 Also known as Ten Little Indians in the U.S., IIRC. And yes, it's excellent.
Just about any Christie is.

Since I lean towards SF flavored war stories and action, I use Tom Clancy, Clive Cussler, Michael Crichton, David Drake, Keith Laumer and David Weber as my inspirations.

Larry Niven - Ring World (World building at it's finest.)
C.S. Lewis - Chronicles of Narnia (Dialog and how to do fantasy right.)
Tad Williams - Tailchaser's Song (Looking at the world from another point of view is what this book is all about.)
Asimov - I Robot (Wonderful story that shows how to get readers to think about what being human is all about.)

George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series is a must for any modern fantasy buff. The Stand, Pet Sematary, and It by Stephen King are all classic horror titles that I keep turning back to.

Oh, and the Hitchhiker's Guide series by Douglas Adams. Do yourself a favor and read them. All of them.