Tweet me some book recommendations! @kodermike

I’ve been reading more paper books lately for a couple of reasons. The one that’s germane here is that I like reading at the end of the day to relax, but by the time I get to that obligation free time my eyes are tired, and even  the screen of my paperwhite can give me a headache. Hence, the need for physically printed books in my life again.

My kids know these things. They also know that I’ve asked for more books for my upcoming birthday, because books are great. They occupy free time in a way no interactive screen activity can, and I usually feel better for having spent the time with one. Even books that are just eye candy (brain candy?), fun romps through a made up land with fake peril and mighty feats of magic make me feel better. They exercise a part of the imagination that needs a thorough workout, no matter how serious they aren’t.

This is where you come in. I’m on a tight deadline with everything else going on, and I could really use some suggestions to put on my list. Most of the books I can think of as great to have all have Pre-Order pages only. Some are coming out before my birthday, others are still tentatively scheduled for this fall or later.

Here are the guidelines of what I like. If you know of a book that falls into one of these categories, tweet it to me so I can consider adding it to my list.

  • I like fantasy. Largely epic fantasy, not as much the grim dark stuff, but I’ve been known to dabble.
  • I like Science Fiction, or at least, sci-fi. The difference there being that it doesn’t have to be hard science fiction. I love space operas, alien threats, etc. Neal Asher’s fun, but so is Scalzi, or Schoen.
  • In fiction, I am a bit picky. Stephen King has written some of the best books I’ve ever read (Bag of Bones is my favorite, though The Stand is on that list too), but that isn’t to say I only read horror. General fiction is actually a weakness of mine – it rarely holds my interest, so I don’t pursue it too much.
  • I like memoirs. I didn’t realize this, but I like reading history as recorded by the participant. Granted, I tend to lean towards the memoirs of explorers, adventurers, etc., but I try not to judge before at least reading the first few pages.
  • Nonfiction is a broad category, I know. Some recent reads have been The Analog Revolution (mixed opinions – loved the first half, want to write a blog about it, but the second half felt discordant to me), a history of the atom bomb, and a collection of essays by Sagan. I guess you could say I prefer my general nonfiction to be more in the sciences, though I am willing to take interesting side trips.

No guarantees that I will read the books you tweet me, but I will do my best to consider each. And thank you!!