Read by Theme discussion

Read by Theme has so many active members that I would love to know what books would you recommend to readers and why.

Nice idea for a thread! :D

Note that when I say "children" below, I mean "children or children's literature enthusiasts".

I would recommend The Absent Author, its series, and its spinoff series to children who enjoy mysteries, because they're one of my fondest childhood memories.

I would recommend Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and its series to children (and some adults) who enjoy urban fantasy; though I suppose the later books wouldn't be considered (young) child-appropriate by all parents.

I would recommend London, 1850 and its first two sequels to any children who enjoy vampires, mythology, or Aztecs. I haven't read the second trilogy, but from what I know of it, I doubt I'd recommend it. I could be wrong, of course.

I'd recommend The Forests of Silence and its series, as well as its two sequel series, to any children who enjoy high fantasy.

I would recommend How Not to Write a Novel: 200 Classic Mistakes and How to Avoid Them--A Misstep-by-Misstep Guide to anyone who wants to be a novelist. It's both hysterical and informative.

I would recommend I Want My Hat Back to any adults who might enjoy a picture book with a wicked sense of humor.

I would recommend Alanna: The First Adventure and its series to any children or adults looking for a strong female protagonist in a high fantasy world. I also enjoyed its first two sequel series; it's third sequel series I didn't much care for but intend on rereading soon (so my opinion may change--I last read the two books almost ten years ago); and I haven't yet read its fourth sequel series, though I intend to do so soon.

I would recommend Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit primarily to anarcho-primitivists, those who entertain anarcho-primitivist ideas, and environmentalists who don't mind reading some rather oddly presented philosophy.

I would recommend The Witch of Blackbird Pond to any children or adults who enjoy books about the Salem Witch trials and similar events.

I would recommend The Bad Beginning and its series to any children or adults with an appreciation of clever humor but neither depress easily nor demand a nice, concise ending with all plot strings neatly tied up.

I would recommend Black Beauty to anyone who can stomach a horse's "account" of animal abuse. I wouldn't particularly recommend it to children--the message might be a bit over their heads depending on their ages, or else particularly empathic children might find the experience traumatic--but I read it as a child and wasn't scarred. Take that as you will.

I would recommend The Little Prince to... everyone? It came very close to making me cry, and that's nearly impossible for a book to manage.

I could go on, but I think my post is long enough for the moment. ;)

Tara wrote: "Read by Theme has so many active members that I would love to know what books would you recommend to readers and why."

I'd recommend all the books from my shelves that got 5 stars, because they are excellent in their respective niche.

To name a few:
- great collection of children's stories

and - mind-blowing contemporary Russian literature

- same thing

- a thrilling mystery&sci-fi with m/m romance

- same thing (alternative WWII)

- precise and coherent introduction into peculiarity of English language

- a manual from the very best

- great behing-the-scenes feature and insight into production of the series

Thanks for the recommendations.
I recommend Wild Seed by Octavia Butler is a great speculative fiction book that takes during the 1700'S-1800's in Africa and the U.S. It is one of Butler's best novels and the strongest in the series.

The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop is a fantasy series that has it all: interesting characters, intricate plots,colorful villians etc.

Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones is a story that grabs you with the opening line and doesn't let go. Jones' writing style is smooth in a way that can lead you in one direction but suddenly move the reader in another.

I just read One Day and I loved it an d I really recommend it. I know there has been both good and bad critique about this book and the intreresting thing is that everyone seems to see different things in this book. Personaly, I think the character portraits in the book are fantastic, I feel like I have known the two protagonsits Emma and Dexter all my life, like I'm the third friend.