Books you'd recommend?

I just watched Crimson Peak (a story with ghosts in it... and a lovely creaky derelict house) and I wished I could go on an adventure like that (except the ghosts would probably freak me out if I thought they were real). Anyhow I realised that I CAN go on such adventures, if I just read the right books! I don't seem to be reading as much anymore as I used to and the current tome I'm working (occassionally) is Ken Follets Century Trilogy (part 3). I like his writing but it's realistic and historical. I think it's been a while since I read some really good adventure type fantasy or even horror.... I used to read a lot more horror when in my teens and early twenties but I dunno... I'm starting to feel that I need/like it in small doses at least.

So any, preferably stand-alone rather than part 1 of 59, books out there you'd recommend? Lois McMaster Bujold is one of my fav authors and I've noticed she's published a few new books in the last year or so, but I'm kind of waiting for them all to be available in paperback...

When it comes to horror I used to read Stephen King (didn't like him particularly much, though) and then moved on to Dean R Koontz until I felt he was just repeating himself. Tried Lovecraft, didn't care for his stuff at all. Read some ghost stories by MR James, ages ago, that I rather enjoyed - though that might have been because one of them took place where I grew up...

Anyhow, not sure when I'll have time to read as I never seem to have enough time for anything anyway these days, but I do spend a lot of time just idling it all away so... maybe reading would be more productive.

Yes, I watched Crimson Peak recently. I loved the atmosphere and the interplay between the characters but I wished the story had delivered a bit more depth.

I seem to read more non-fiction these days, mostly science and art stuff (although I did have a phase of reading unmade movie scripts.) One that was really fascinating was that David Hockney book Secret Knowledge on the use of lenses/mirrors/cameras by the Old Masters. When the evidence is presented like that it's so glaringly obvious you wonder why it's never been questioned before.

The last novel I remember liking was probably Night Film by Marisha Pessl (a little gimmicky but I loved her previous book Special Topics In Calamity Physics, best title ever) and maybe Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch although all her books suffer from not being as good as her first one, The Secret History.

I only like Stephen King when he's not being over the top and apocalyptic, stuff like Misery, or Carrie. I remember From A Buick 8 being quite unsettling until the end.

I like most of Margaret Atwood's stuff, Ian McEwan too, but my favourite author is David Mitchell and the way he can shift between so many styles. Ghostwritten and Cloud Atlas are probably my two favourite books and I should add that I haven't seen the Cloud Atlas film and the better part of me doesn't want to. (Starring Hugh Grant? Really?) I feel like they should have asked for my permission before making it.

Stephen King early days is just unbeatable, I didn't finish From a Buick 8, Val stuff got in the way, i'll have to read it again!
In fact all my horror greats are of that era, Dean Koontz then became my favourite, in fact I've just bought all the Odd series as I missed alot of then due to having children So many of his books are amazing.

I loved Graham Masterton's Manitou series

James Herbert - another great, love all of his books, you'd like The Secret of Crickey Hall Charlotte, lots of his books were like that, The Magic Cottage is probably one of my favourite books ever.

Thanks for the suggestions - I've looked them up and noted some particularly interesting ones down. They all seemed to end up in the thriller/horror spectrum though so any suggestions for adventure type fantasy would still be appreciated as well

Just not Fritz Lieber... I might have mentioned before but I read at least some of his books on Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser and got increasingly uncomfortable with the mouser's seeming preference for very young "women"...

Lookitthat? Things moved to the right! wheeee!

Thinking back through my history of books, I apparently don't read that much fantasy stuff. I think I've gone through all those Anne McAffrey things and of course we're all trying to stay alive until the next Game of Thrones book
Tad Williams is kind of OK with his Memory, Sorrow And Thorn series.
Also I've noted that I do have an occasional weakness for steampunk even though they're all the same! I think the Newbury & Hobbes books are my favourite of those.

I rather liked Tad Williams's books too... I remember reading a couple of books I didn't like at all and while I can't remember if those were the actual authors, they've put me off trying McCaffrey and Atwood... Maybe they just had similar names or I got something confused with something else

Never did try reading Steampunk. Might be something to give a go, as well

Perhaps you'd be less confused by names if I actually made the effort to spell them correctly.

I doubt it! I'm not sure how to spell them either, but I recognise the names in question... I *think* I once read something by Atwood that was completely incomprehensible. But it might have been another author. If McCaffrey is the one with the dragons of Perth I've not read them but she's not the one I read that was bad... I think maybe that author's name was Patricia something. Can't remember. I think it was some fairly mainstream fantasy and I can't even remember why I thought it was bad... Possibly cliche characters acting illogically or something...

Personally for heroic fiction I don't think you can do much better than David Gemmel, his early works are the best IMHO . If you're looking for something on a more epic scale Stephen Eriksons' Malazan Books of the Fallen are excellent but they are a series of 11 or so books. They stand alone very well but you may miss some of the references if you don't read the entire series.
My favourite fantasy/sci fi book of all time is Dune by the great Frank Herbert but it can be hard going at times and I'm a real sucker for anything by Phillip K Dick.
I read a few by McCaffrey but they really did very little for me.
As a side note I also read a lot of non sci fi/fantasy too. A few of the best I've read are A Prayer for Owen Meaney, Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk and Geek Love by Katherine Dunn which I can't recommend highly enough for anyone who likes something a little left field.

Anyone who loves (or indeed hates) Phillip K Dick should read The Cardboard Universe. It brilliantly captures his imagination and his psychotic foolishness.
And even several years after reading it I still find myself sniggering at the passage about expositional dialogue. "As you know, Floyd..."