Help me...oh god, please...help me....(find something to read)

[BloatedGuppy]

I almost forgot I wanted to make this thread. There's a good, healthy population of book loving nerds on here, and I need some help finding a new book/series to read. Here are the guidelines. None but #1 are NECESSARY, but all are PREFERRED.

1. Has to be available on Audible. I've got some issues with my eyes, and while I can get along alright reading big fat books just beats them up more than I'd prefer.
2. I do like fantasy and sci-fi. ++++ if it's fantasy or sci-fi, but it's not necessary. Anything good, I'd like to hear about.
3. It doesn't have to be AMAZING LITERATURE, but if it's not, it should be BREEZY AND FUN.
4. I like plucky female protagonists. ++++ for plucky female protagonists, or at least a good ensemble.
5. Longer series are better, I listen to this stuff on my commute and sometimes at work to while away the hours. A short book and I'm right back here in two weeks.

*I've already read ASoIaF.

**I'm aware of the Malazan Books of the Fallen, but I found them difficult to get started on when I had the actual books. They're so dense they seem like they might be a nightmare in audiobook format, trying to keep all the time jumping and names straight.

THANK YOU in advance. For some reason I know of every single decent game made in the last 30 years but I never know what the fuck to read.

 

[C F]

((Warning: TvTropes link ahead. The site has been known to be hazardous to your free time.))

I recommend the Discworld [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/Discworld] series. The stories take themselves quite seriously while also managing to be marinated in satire. I'm not sure how they'd turn out in Audiobook format, but it's worth a shot. The author, Terry Pratchett, was knighted by the British government for his "services to literature." If that doesn't vouch for his writing prowess, I don't know what will.

 

[Durgiun]

Flowers for Algernon is pretty decent. I don't think Audible made an audio-book, but Recorded Books did. Narrated by Jeff Woodman if that means anything to you.

 

[Iwata]

http://www.blacklibrary.com/horus-heresy/audio

The Horus Heresy audio books are pretty damn spiffy!

 

[AlternatePFG]

You should try the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books. They're funny British sci-fi books with not much of a plot at all, but with some good humor and jokes to back them up. Books are pretty short though and there's only five of them. (Well there's a sixth one by a different author, it's still pretty decent but not as good as the rest) There's all different sorts of audio versions though, you have to differentiate between the original radio series and audiobooks.

Radio series is really good, at least for the first two books. Haven't listened to the others.

I have the same problem when looking for things to read. Aside from recommendations from friends and well known classics, it's very hard for me to actually find a book that I'm interested in.

 

[DionysusSnoopy]

((Warning: TvTropes link ahead. The site has been known to be hazardous to your free time.))

I recommend the Discworld [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/Discworld] series. The stories take themselves quite seriously while also managing to be marinated in satire. I'm not sure how they'd turn out in Audiobook format, but it's worth a shot. The author, Terry Pratchett, was knighted by the British government for his "services to literature." If that doesn't vouch for his writing prowess, I don't know what will.

Discworld is a great series then if you enjoy it, then Good Omens (Pratchett and Gaimen) followed by Neil Gaimen books: American Gods, Stardust and Neverwhere.

 

[poodlenoodles]

while not a series(or very long) and i'm not even sure if it's in audiobook format, THE Forever War was one of the best sci fi books i've ever read.other than that the Keys To The Kingdom books are pretty good for fantasy, but again, i'm not sure if they come in audiobook format.

 

[DoPo]

The Dresden Files - the protagonist, Harry Dresden, is the only wizard in the phone book. Well, he is a wizard-slash-private-investigator but mostly does wizardly stuff in modern day Chicago. The series are modern urban fantasy and really entertaining. Like action movies made in books, but good.

 

[BamWam]

The 2 Daemon books by Daniel Suarez. I also recommend anything by Michael Chrichton.

 

[3 legged goat]

The Passage by Justin Cronin is a wonderful read and quite long. About 1000+ pages if I remember correctly. It has a very important/main character who is a unusual, interesting girl if that counts.
http://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B003O9GBFC

Michael Crichton has lots of wonderful books.

Bartimaeus and the Ring of Solomon is one of my favorite books that I would highly recommend.
http://www.audiobookstand.com/product.asp?Titleid=62400

Hunger Games Trilogy is good.

 

[Kpt._Rob]

You should check out Something from the Nightside. It's urban fantasy with a good sense of humor about itself (and it's definitely breezy and fun). I'm afraid it doesn't have the plucky female protagonist you'd like, but I quite like the main character. He's a noir style detective taken to a couple of extremes. And lastly, the series is now, I believe, on its twelfth book. So it meets four of your five criteria.

Even if it didn't meet so many, it's one of my favorite book series. Every time I get a new one I can't put it down, because reading it is such a blast. The author does a really good job of exploring this setting which is almost overwhelmingly rich in lore in a way that's quirky but not corny. I can't suggest it enough.

 

[rednose1]

Issac Asimov is a favorite author of mine. I recommend reading the Foundation Series first, the the robot books. He also has a couple of single stories I like; End of Eternity (all about time travel society) and Nightfall (a world that always has the sun shining goes dark for the first time)

Kevin J. Anderson is another top author. His Saga of the Sevnen Suns can run a bit long, but has Gas giants being turned into stars, and aliens that live in stars; how cool is that?

All time favorite book, The Count of Monte Cristo. Dante has some serious wrong thrown his way, and he gets so much revenge.

 

[Tryforlive]

Hunger games books were good

 

[Oliin]

Most books by Brandon Sanderson are both reasonably good (I think anyway) and available as unabridged audio books.

He has two stand-alone books, Elantris (27 hours) and Warbreaker (24 hours). Personally I think Elantris is the weakest of his books, but then again it was also his first published novel and it's a little rough around the edges because of it.

He has a fantasy trilogy, the Mistborn books that start on the premise that there was the typical fantasy quest centuries ago to stop the evil bad guy, and the bad guy won. They vary from 24 to 29 hours in length. He also has a book based in the same world that looks to be the start of another series that's based rather a while after the first trilogy where the world's advanced to a sort of 'old west'/steampunk stage of development (also planned I believe a 'modern day' and 'sci-fi' series in the same world).

He also has a single book in a 'epic' fantasy series called The Way of Kings. Not only is it a good book, it's also a terrifyingly long book so is a bit over 45 hours long as an unabridged audio book.

They all do a pretty decent attempt of making interesting worlds/systems of magic and having a fairly solid ensemble cast. I don't know if I'd call the female protagonists plucky exactly, but they're not exactly wilting wallflowers either.

 

[Redryhno]

anything by Douglass Preston or Lincoln Child, but their best stuff are books they do together. In my mind, Riptide is the single best book they did. But if you want their series of books start with Relic and Reliquary, then Cabinet of Curiosities, or Still Life with Crows. They're detective novels in a way with a lot of science theory and fiction laced into it to form the basis of the story.

 

[2fish]

Mistborn (Mistborn trilogy) F
Luck in the shadows (Nightrunner Series) f
Bone Doll's twin (Tamir trilogy) F
Black company f/F major female plays but we don?t follow them as main characters.
The Summoner (whatever it is called series) F
The way of the shadows (Night angel trilogy) f?
Dauntless (the lost fleet)
Old man's war (old man's war trilogy?)f?
Myrren's Gift (Something trilogy)f?
The Blade itself (First law trilogy) f for book 2/3
Best Served Cold F
The clone republic (Clone series?)
The Magicians Guild (Something trilogy) F

Those marked with the "F" mean a strong female lead who shows up often
a "f" means nice female character but more of a secondary character

no f or F means no female lead or I can't remember right now.

Before I crash and go to bed try using librarything.com I have found authors through them. You sign up insert all the books you have read rate them and then it generates books you might like.


*all spelling and grammatical errors are intentional to help find and weed out grammar robots, NOT because I am too tired to be posting.*


Grammar robots please disregard the above statement

 

[Strain42]

Despite this not really falling into...any of your requirements, I'm going to suggest the same book I always suggest when one of these threads comes up (because it's my favorite book and I have yet to meet another human being who has read it besides the ones I made read it)

Pest Control by Bill Fitzhugh. It's a well written, clever and funny action book about a New York exterminator, who through a series of mishaps and coincidences, ends up on the radar of the worlds best assassins.

It's fun, it's loaded with interesting and unique characters, it changes to different characters perspectives to provide a thorough narrative, and it's where the Strain in my user name comes from.

Anyone who reads this, I suggest this book. Sorry if it doesn't help you TC, I don't think there's an audio version, but I just wanted to recommend it.

 

[Fayathon]

The Dresden Files - the protagonist, Harry Dresden, is the only wizard in the phone book. Well, he is a wizard-slash-private-investigator but mostly does wizardly stuff in modern day Chicago. The series are modern urban fantasy and really entertaining. Like action movies made in books, but good.

Aaand ninja'd, damnit.

I'll plug the Dresden Files as well, they're great.

Hell I'll plug one of my own: The Dragonriders of Pern. That's one of my favorite series ever. Dragons fighting against a parasitic fungus from space that eats everything that isn't stone or metal? Yes, please.