[Arm-netbook] Totally derailed topic

[Christopher Havel]

I very strongly second both suggested readings, if only because I have both
(including the complete set of Narnia books), have read both, and find them
to be examples of some of the best fiction writing known to mankind. I
would be somewhat less of a person if I had not read those, I think. With
regard to the Narnia series -- the books were written and published out of
order. See here -->
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_Narnia#Reading_order (I
recommend the "Harper Collins order" of reading the books, as referred to
in the linked article.)

*The Phantom Tollbooth*, I will warn you, is a "Young Adult" novel -- read
it anyways, it's a wonderful story and a wonderful book.

I can also recommend some of Brian Jacques' earlier works (the *Redwall*
series of novels) -- I should warn you that the later ones get *very*
predictable -- my favorite from his would have to be *The Bellmaker*. By
the way -- if you're into sci-fi -- I could do far, far worse than to
recommend *Coyote* by Alan Steele and *Eternity Road* by Jack McDevitt.
*Coyote* is about colonizing another world -- but it's far more (pardon me)
"down to earth" in how things work out, both in terms of character
development and technology, than, say, *Star Trek*. *Eternity Road* is a
post-apocalyptic book -- one of only two, honestly, I've really met that
I've enjoyed (the other is called *The Rock* -- referring to Ayers Rock in
Austraila, which is all I'll say about the plot) -- although I have to say
I can't really recommend any of Jack McDevitt's other works. They... I
dunno, they just don't 'click' for me, you know? If fantasy is more your
thing, there's Anne McCaffrey's *Pern* series -- I loved those books when I
was in high school. Absolutely ate them up. It's sort of a sci-fi/fantasy
fusion sort of a setting, but it works quite nicely... I'll not explain
what I mean by that, though, because that spoils major parts of the plot in
one of the books...

Of course, I would also be quite remiss in failing to recommend the first
three books in what Wiki wants me to believe is in fact a quintet --
Madeleine L'Engle's *A Wrinkle In Time*, followed by *A Wind in the Door*
and *A Swiftly Tilting Planet*. (I have neither read nor even heard of, the
two books that are supposed to go after those three, titled *Many Waters*
and *An Acceptable Time* -- so I can't speak to those. Sorry.)

...you can probably tell already, but books and reading are valued things
in my family... books are amazing things. They can -- if you let them --
take you all sorts of wonderful and strange places... I'm happy to
recommend even more if you're interested -- shoot me an email with a topic
or fiction genre and I'll gladly see what I can recommend. (I should note
that I habitually stay away from horror and similar material at all cost,
though, so if that's your thing, I can't really help.)
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