So, I consider myself rather proactive. I like to be prepared. That’s why even though there is a good bit of Host to go I’m taking suggestions for the next book. Here’s how you can suggest, leave a comment to this post. That’s very simple and then others can second or not. I do, however, have some criteria that you should keep in mind when making a suggestion. You can suggest anything you want, following these notes makes it more likely that your suggestion shall be used.
1. Nothing too obscure. Remember, I have to be able to find a copy to read in the first place. Hence why I’m not doing an Amanda Mckittrick Ros novel.
2. The closer to mainstream, the better. I want people to be able to read along or to know what I’m reading when I make references to it.
3. No comedies. Unless it’s so bad that it’s impossible to find funny and even then. It’s very hard to mock something really stupid when it’s trying to make you laugh. It’s like heckling that guy who gets up on stage during amatuer night who thinks he’s a riot. You end up pitying them far to much to do anything good.
As I near the end of Host I’ll lock the comments on this post and mention my pick. No rush, you’ve got time(as of this posting) to let me know.
Vivisector's Writ 
I’d suggest Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side. And a plus side is the chapters have a fairly ridiculous layout, so some of them are about half a page long.
Mind you, I still only got to about four, because I couldn’t stop laughing when someone asked the main character if she “needed a writing instrument.”
I say Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. It’s a series so I’m not sure if you would want to do all of them but they are pretty popular right now. They suck in many ways but one of the main reasons is because it’s written by two women (mother and daughter) that don’t know how teenagers talk. I have the first 3-4 if you want them.
what about something from the generic high school reading lists? i’m spacing on something your could use because it’s been a while and i only remember the ones i liked (To Kill a Mockingbird, Watership Down) but there have to be some that just because they are required doesn’t necessarily make them good.
Also found this one. Looks like crap but with this line at the top, “If you asked Stephen King and Stephenie Meyers to co-author a book, they would come up with Need” it makes me want to hear your take on it. http://www.needpixies.com/
THAT one looks entertaining. If we are voting, I put my vote on this one!
I’m thinking about sending you a book, it’s by Ian Irvine, “A Shadow on the Glass”, though thinking about it, it’s not really bad per se, just horribly written.
There’s the “Short Second Life of Bree Tanner” by SMeyer. It’s free online, though only until July 5th.
It’s on:
http://www.breetanner.com/
Yeah, I’ll probably start on that after Host. I’m still looking for a non-Otis brand novel though.
has anyone read the Eragon books? i haven’t, but if the movie was any indication, that could be a good.
similarly, the Golden Compass. never read the books, but again, if the movie was remotely close, it deserves a good spanking.
i need to read more.
No! The Golden Compass is a great book. Great series. The movie butchered it by taking out the good things so the Christians wouldn’t get pissed (they still did).
oh OK. yeah, now i seem to remember hearing something like that.
thanks for the correction.
I’d consider the Eragon books, or at least the first. I’m not sure about Golden Compass though.
Not young adult fiction, more grown-up fiction, but I toss out the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. It was (poorly, in my opinion) adapted to two seasons of TV shows, and it’s well-known in the fantasy circles. Personally I thought the series went downhill after book 2 or 3 (can’t remember) when suddenly the main protagonist got super-preachy, etc. I read the entire thing, and I am reasonably sure that after the first couple of books (and maybe before then) you’ll find plenty to rip into it about. The entire series has some good points, so it’s not as horrible as reading Meyer’s stuff. Still, it’s pretty ironic that you read so much about preserving life, and life being important, and then the protagonists go about killing people and even innocent animals right and left, occasionally for reasons that are frankly quite selfish.
Barring that, I will second ripping into Eragon, which has only one advantage over Meyer’s stuff: stuff actually happens in Eragon. But aside from that it is indeed pretty bad.
I think The Sword of truth went bad as soon as Richard started getting new powers as the plot demanded, starting in book 2. And the whole vegetarian thing was something I pretended was a gag nod at the sheer level of killing.
Well it kind of made sense at first that Richard had to be a vegetarian to offset the killing. Sort of. But then a few books later, it’s all: Oh wait no he can eat meat anyway.
And then there are all the women throwing themselves at him, at least one of whom is actually a better match for him than Kahlan. Okay, I get that it’s good to show that they’re loyal and won’t do anything together until they’re married and all. That kind of nobility is loyal, even. But I’m sorry, “one true love” doesn’t trump “the world is ending.”
And let’s not even get into the whole “women are weaker both physically and magically” schtick, which I think by the last book it’s pointed out that somehow this was because of a spell? I can’t remember. Physically, I get–that’s realism. But the only reason that I got that they are made weaker magically is so Richard can continue to be the Best and Rarest and Coolest Thing Ever, and so women would need to be protected by men all the time.
That said, Kahlan made a pretty awesome general.
And then you’ve got the inconsistencies in the last book. I’m pretty sure several plot holes were left, not to mention that the dragon Scarlet (who I think Goodkind regretted adding to the book in the first place because he seemed to have gone out of the way to erase dragons from the world up to the last book, when I’m presuming he got sick of the series since he was leaving several plots hanging) had suddenly only had one hatchling, rather than two.
Gah. But yeah, I’d recommend ripping into the series, but you seem to have already read it.
I’ve also heard that that “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief” series (I think?) for kids is getting really popular. Some people are claiming it’s the next Harry Potter. My guess is it’s not that good, but it might be worth summarizing here especially since I doubt it’s something you’ve read yet.
Yeah the inequality stuff was annoying. I almost wonder if he didn’t add the whole spell thing towards the end so that his wife would stop nagging him. Not having read past the fifth, I think, I don’t really know or care.