swimmermom3 Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 My oldest son turns 16 tomorrow and I would like to pick up a few books for him. He has recently read all of our Alan Furst novels. I may pick up the new one, Spies of the Balkans. He enjoys WW I and II novels, actually almost anything to do with history is good. He is working his way through Centennial currently. He still enjoys rereading LOTR and the Ranger Apprentice series. He attends public high school, so I often try to find classic works of interest that he wont get to read at ps. He did enjoy All Quiet on the Western Front. I would really appreciate some suggestions. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 (edited) While these are Non-Fiction, they are as griping as a novel, and are all on WW2: - Escape From Colditz - The Great Escape - The Forgotten 500 Our younger DS who really enjoyed Lord of the Rings and the Ranger Apprentice series has also really enjoyed: - Farmer Giles of Ham (Tolkien) -- VERY clever, funny short story; his other short stories, Leaf by Niggle, and, Smith of Wooten Major are also very well-written - Watership Down (Adams) -- reminds me just a little of LotR for some reason, but with rabbits seeking a new home -- very well written - Earthsea trilogy: Wizard of Earthsea; Tombs of Atuan; Farthest Shore -- well written (I do NOT recommend for teens the much-later written 4th book, Tehanu -- ADULT content) - The Never Ending Story (Ende) -- VERY creative - Eragon series -- not the best writing, but DS really enjoys this - His Majesty's Dragon series (Napoleonic Wars but with dragon riders; FLUFF; some language and occasional suggested intimate relationships) - Bromeliad Trilogy: Truckers, Diggers, Wings (by Terry Pratchett -- very light, tongue-in-cheek, and no sex or language, unlike his Discworld series) - Percy Jackson and the Olympians series -- FUN FLUFF - Harry Potter series -- FUN FLUFF - The Secret of Platform 13 (Ibbotson) -- a "gentler kinder Harry Potter" - dragon series: Dragon of the Lost Sea; Dragon War; Dragon Cauldron (Yep) -- TOTAL FLUFF - tiger apprentice series: Tiger Apprentice; Tiger's Blood; Tiger Magic (Yep) -- TOTAL FLUFF Real-life (rather than fantasy) but very humorous and enjoyed by both DSs: - All Creatures Great and Small (and sequels) - My Family and Other Animals More adult in vocabulary/concepts reading level, but also enjoyed: - Aurelia's Thread series (Aurelia's Thread; Cyndere's Midnight; Raven's Ladder; Aleboy's Feast -- by Jeffrey Overstreet) - Out of the Silent Planet (CS Lewis) -- the other 2 books in the trilogy get a significantly more steep in language, concepts, philosophy, etc. - Children of Hurin (Tolkien) -- edited and published by JRR's son Christopher; powerful, tragic, more adult in theme; like reading Beowulf or some other ancient epic, but set in the first age of Middle Earth Some sci-fi: - The Time Machine; The Invisible Man (Wells) - Enchantress from the Stars (Engdahl) -- sci-fi AND fantasy in one - House of Stairs (Sleator) -- a few mild swear words (preview any other books by Sleator) - I Robot (Asimov) -- short story collection Edited March 1, 2011 by Lori D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 (edited) As an Alan Furst fan, I will keep an eye on this thread. Thanks for reporting that he has a new novel. There are a couple of Eastern European authors who create the same dark and mysterious environment that Furst paints in his books. I'm thinking about Jerzy Andrzejewski in Ashes and Diamonds (which Polish director Andre Wadja made into a film) and Czech author Milan Kundera. His novel, The Joke, might appeal to your son. I have no idea if either of these books are easy to find. Wish him a happy birthday from your board friend. Jane Edited March 1, 2011 by Jane in NC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunshine State Sue Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Ds has been listening to Ted Dekker's Circle Trilogy: Black, White, Red and now the prequel/sequel Green. I heard about the series on this board. I know nothing about it other than he's going through it fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 My oldest son turns 16 tomorrow and I would like to pick up a few books for him. He has recently read all of our Alan Furst novels. I may pick up the new one, Spies of the Balkans. He enjoys WW I and II novels, actually almost anything to do with history is good. He is working his way through Centennial currently. He still enjoys rereading LOTR and the Ranger Apprentice series. He attends public high school, so I often try to find classic works of interest that he wont get to read at ps. He did enjoy All Quiet on the Western Front. I would really appreciate some suggestions. Thanks. My DS goes to a boys Catholic school and for book club they are reading a book called Drood. http://www.amazon.com/Drood-Novel-Dan-Simmons/dp/0316007021 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Ds has been listening to Ted Dekker's Circle Trilogy: Black, White, Red and now the prequel/sequel Green. I heard about the series on this board. I know nothing about it other than he's going through it fast. I just finished reading these and they were fascinating and fun. My ds is now reading them and enjoying them as well. Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Anyone have any opinions on 'The Hunger Games' ? There are 3 books in the series and they seem to be very popular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Hi Lisa, My youngest is turning 16 in a couple of weeks. I've got a few favorites of his to recommend and a few that he hasn't read that your ds might enjoy. On the fantasy front, The Name of the Wind is a wonderful first novel by Patrick Rothfuss. It isn't the standard "boy with destiny and wise wizard who must die" kind of fantasy, but a story set in a fantasy world of a man with a past who is coaxed into telling his life story. The second book, The Wise Man's Fear (of course it is going to be a trilogy!) comes out this week and we're going to see the author at a book signing next weekend. (He's in the Pacific Northwest today and tomorrow.) My ds also loves Bill Bryson. His most recent title At Home is a history book of a kind, a history of all the ordinary stuff we live with along with biographical sketches of some colorful historical people. Not typical teenage reading fare, but it is a great read. My oldest really liked Caine Mutiny, which is a WWII novel set in the Pacific. Of course most people know of the movie, but the book is excellent. The other thing that popped into my mind is probably out of print, but I'll mention it anyway. Ernie Pyle was a reporter during WWII and he was "imbedded" with troops in North Africa and Italy. The stories he posted are riveting and fascinating, and so well written. I found a collection at a used book store once was blown away. Oh, and one last recommendation. It isn't a "fun" or light read, but it is powerful and excellent. The Things They Carried is about the Vietnam War, written by a man who served there. It is a series of vignettes, one of which literally is about the things the men carried with them during their year of service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in Richmond Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Hi Lisa, On the fantasy front, The Name of the Wind is a wonderful first novel by Patrick Rothfuss. It isn't the standard "boy with destiny and wise wizard who must die" kind of fantasy, but a story set in a fantasy world of a man with a past who is coaxed into telling his life story. The second book, The Wise Man's Fear (of course it is going to be a trilogy!) comes out this week and we're going to see the author at a book signing next weekend. (He's in the Pacific Northwest today and tomorrow.) I was just going to recommend this book! The Name of the Wind was one of my son's favorites at that age, and he convinced the rest of the family to read it since then. We're eagerly awaiting the UPS man, who's scheduled to deliver the long-awaited The Wise Man's Fear sometime today. Then it will be fun to see who'll get to read it first...:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 This is late, but any and all of Albert Marrin's history books were loved by my older son when he was a teen: http://albertmarrin.com/books.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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