Recommend 2-3 books for someone that wants to get into reading

The Magician is a fantastic fantasy series. Probably one of my favourite cast of characters ever.

For a less lengthy fantasy series, The Painted Man is brilliant.

As above, Hitchhikers Guide is very much an English sense of humour Sci fi thing.
 
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Ready Player One (The movie was Ok, but due to all the contractual nonsense 80% of the pop culture it missed the book by miles)
Player of Games (Iain M Banks) Why none of his sci fi works has hit the TV screens is beyond me, yet we get fed lord of the rings constantly with a big budget.
Magician (Take lord of the rings and stick it where the sun don't shine, its not a patch on this series :) )
 
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As the OP, just thought I'd update that I picked book 2 of the dresden files (full moon), and I'm around 25% thru it and enjoying it.

This is one seriously good thread though, I think I've got enough recommendations in here already to last a lifetime, but I'm sure I'm far from the only one that will appreciate it's existence

Many thanks for everyone's thoughts and recommendations.
 
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For a "new reader", I'd recommend picking up some classics in addition to reading sci-fi and similar which is the direction this thread is leaning in. To be clear, I love sci-fi (currently reading Children of Ruin by Tchaikovsky), but I don't think much can make you appreciate reading more than some of the genuine classics.

Many of them are a pain to read, and frankly boring, but there are others which are fantastic books, transport you to another time or another life, and really allow you to get inside the characters' lives, while also being beautifully written and easy to read. To Kill a Mockingbird is my favourite book ever, is easy reading, and I'd recommend it to everyone. Other easy reading and fairly exciting classics include The Great Gatsby, The Secret History, and Brave New World (which is admittedly quite sci-fi). Steinbeck and Hemingway also write beautifully. Hemingway's novels have never grabbed me, but I enjoy reading them for his use of language alone.

I tend to try to alternate a modern book (usually sci-fi or fantasy) with a classic, which is a nice way of seeing both sides of things. If you fancy doing the same, I'd recommend starting with a few of the above, and leaving the likes of Dickens, Austen, Joyce etc until you feel like more of a challenge (if ever - to be honest, they bore me).
 
The Expanse is pretty trashy and poorly written, but the world is interesting and it's a bit of a page turner.

Ian M Banks' sci fi novels are vastly better, I highly recommend getting into them. Not so much a series as a collection of books in the same universe, you don't really need to read them in order.
 
Im the OP (yes I'm back !). So I've read 2 dresden files books and I'm enjoying that series. Thinking of giving the series a break and trying something else. A friend of mine recommended the green mile. Which brings me to a question. Does having seen the film based on a particular book (especially when the film was excellent like the green mile) spoil reading the book. The film's appeal lies mostly in the slow expose of the talents and real back story of the big guy. Knowing all that going in, is the experience of reading the book spoiled to a lesser or greater extent ?

I saw "to kill a mockingbird" also recommended on this thread, and so the question relates to that suggestion to, as well as generically.
 
tangey said:
Does having seen the film based on a particular book (especially when the film was excellent like the green mile) spoil reading the book. The film's appeal lies mostly in the slow expose of the talents and real back story of the big guy. Knowing all that going in, is the experience of reading the book spoiled to a lesser or greater extent ?
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It varies according to book, film, and person I think. But I would say that most of the time, seeing a film or series before reading the book doesn't spoil the experience. Books are much less reliant on surprise reveals than films are, because they have more depth and richness to them and can explore the inner lives of characters, etc. Honestly, I can't remember how different the book and the film of The Green Mile are, so I can't specifically respond to that one - it is a great book though.
 
9/10 the book will always be better than the film.

Nothing better than finding a book and it consumes you days and then it's all done and your sad.
 
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Science Fiction:

Dune Frank Herbert
Three Body Problem Cixin Liu
Consider Phlebas Iain Banks

Fiction:

The Bridge Ian Banks.
Red Dragon Thomas Harris
Quesadillas Juan VillaLobos
Post Office Charles Bukowski

Fantasy:

Game of Thrones George Martin
The Last Wish Andrzej Sapkowski
Promise of Blood Brian McClellan
Prince of Thorns Mark Lawrence
 
Another vote for the Magician series by Raymond E Feist. Then once you're hooked on those, he's done another 30 odd books set in the same universe :p

Otherland by Tad Williams is another good series. Nice mix of SciFi and fantasy going on, with some gaming/VR thrown in.

For a classic book to read, Day Of the Triffids is one of my favourites, especially when you realise how much 28 Days Later is a rip off of it (just replace plants with zombies :cry: )
 
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I've been getting into reading this year, have a target of 30 books by year end, ten books done (pretty much bang on target..)

My favourite book this year so far is 'Until the Last of Me' - A bit alt history, a bit sci fi, and importantly (if you are trying to get into reading), not too long!

Otherwise, Children of Time is great but takes a bit to get into. Or 'The Gunslinger' is a good read, but the issue is you then have to read the other six and some are quite thick! Great series though.
 
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