If you had to pick some fiction books to put in a retreat / bunker, what would you go with?

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iwannaddr2afi@reddit

Ooh fun!

I'd for sure, absolutely, a hundred percent do the complete Shakespeare, The Hobbit and LOTR, a Sherlock Holmes collection, every Douglas Adams joint I could grab (I don't currently own everything he wrote because I keep buying and giving them away forever lol), graphic novels Maus and Blankets (would have to buy for same reason as previous title), The Complete Brontë Sisters and Jane Austen, Harper Lee's novels, The Complete Dickens, the dystopian classics including Orwell, Huxley, Butler, and Bradbury, and a collection of classic horror (I have individual editions of Dracula, Frankenstein, Carmilla, The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow, Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and a collection of Poe.... But any classic horror would be appreciated).

Essentially, all the books I find endlessly re-readable and classic for a reason.

Also probably some Celeste Ng, some Margaret Atwood, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, cause I think they're special and might want to remind myself I'm not alone or crazy, and then some contemporary novels I haven't read just for the fun of reading something new.

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Forsaken_Badger_3420@reddit

Anything by Kresley Cole, Charlaine Harris, Cindy Tanner, Laura Thalassa or Eric Asher.

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Short_Bell_5428@reddit

Any Edgar ricebourgh

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echoshatter@reddit

Obviously the entire collection of Goosebumps. And the three "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" books with the original artwork.

Nothing better than having scary, creepy stories while stuck in a bunker at the end of the world.

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Mobile-Bee6312@reddit

Lord of the rings.

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echoshatter@reddit

The whole set of works by Tolkien and his son.

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jolllyroger027@reddit

Bought LoTR Hobbit and The Silmarillion for entertainment when the lights go out

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drasthavennn@reddit

Dune series would be my second pick.

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xyz4533@reddit

Came here for this. Best trilogy plus the hobbit of you can get it too. Got a few sets from thrifts etc for camp etc

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RickDick-246@reddit

I have complete sets of LOTR, Harry Potter, Tom Clancy, Stephen King, and Dune alongside all my survival books. I could read all my books as fast as I could possibly make time during basically any scenario and still never get bored.

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SpiritualSwordfish99@reddit

I agree, the hobbit and LOTR would be my first pick.

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MArkansas-254@reddit

I came here to say this. 👍

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SackSauce69@reddit

Lord Of The Rings, Pillars Of The Earth and Tortuous Serpent could keep me entertained forever, lol.

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ErgonomicZero@reddit

Or Lord of the Flies…have to keep the bunker mates on their toes

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kkinnison@reddit

gah.. no. Skip the first half until they get to Rivendell. Dont need to torture everyone

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possesseduser@reddit

Harry Potter series

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SemanticSynapse@reddit

An LLM decent at immersive narrative.

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PleasantAnimator7741@reddit

I would go with the SM Stirling “change” novels along with Neil Stephenson’s “Baroque Cycle”. Excellent fiction with useful survival tips woven in.

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foreversecond2@reddit

All the harry potter books After it Happened series Children of earth series

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Dr_mombie@reddit

High fantasy. My husband reads some fascinating and absurd shit. One of his books features a knight who enters a dragon's cave with a sheep offering, and the dragon is unimpressed. The dragon is like, "bruh, what did you think you were accomplishing by bringing me a sheep from the pasture? It's literally right in front of my cave. Of course I'm eating the fluffy fuckers! Convince me not to roast you in your armor and eat you like an oversized extra stupid shellfish." The knight, being totally thrown off his game, teaches the dragon how to gamble. They become friends.

This is the kind of stuff you want to have deep discussions about in the apocalypse. I promise.

Also, my husband convinced me that cowboys are just dude witches, and I can never look back. (Wizards and warlocks are different from witches in form and function.) The closest male match to a female witch is a cowboy and the logic is unfuckwithable. My flabbers are still gasted about it.

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average_texas_guy@reddit

I want to hear about this witch/cowboy thing. Please expand.

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Dr_mombie@reddit

Cowboys are witches because- they prefer to spend most of their time in nature away from people and cities. Have strong preference for animals over people. Pay attention to natures signs and prepare accordingly. Develop skills to forage for edible or useful plants. Cooks with pot over fire using ingredients they've preserved or found in an area. Happy to sleep by fire under stars.

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Creative-Ad8310@reddit

well shit. im a witch lol

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RNtertainments@reddit

And here I thought it was because of the hats.

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Dr_mombie@reddit

The hats are merely functional coincidences.

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La-Belle-Gigi@reddit

Here's a link to a Tumblr post that explains it pretty well.

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average_texas_guy@reddit

Ok that does make sense. Of course, I think the male equivalent of witches are wizards or warlocks but what do I know.

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purpleflask@reddit

I second this.

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Tfire327@reddit

I want to hear more about this AND the gambling dragon!

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CricketJaxson@reddit

Can you please ask your husband for some book recs? I wanna read some fascinating and absurd shit.

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Aurochbull@reddit

If you haven't read or listened to Dungeon Crawler Carl, there ya go.

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Dr_mombie@reddit

Hunter Mythos Overpowered wizard makes him giggle like a little girl.

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Dr_mombie@reddit

He's a fan of dungeon crawler Carl.

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Dr_mombie@reddit

Aurhors from our library- Piers Anthony, robert asprin, robert wayne bailey, (one of the roberts wrote about the gambling dragon), orson scott card. Jack L chalker, lois mcmasterson bujold, Brandon Sanderson, Glenn Cook, David farland, Terry goodkind, Stephen King. George rr Martin, Garth Nix, Riordan, RA salvatore, zelazny. Douglas Adam's. Calvin and hobbes. Flame tree publishing anthology series from books a million.

Basically- go loot the scifi section at a used book store where you can get books for like a dollar each. libraries are a good resource for used books as well. People like to donate stuff to libraries that they can either sell or use for nefarious purposes like unauthorized entertainment.

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HummousTahini@reddit

Calvin and Hobbes. GOAT.

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Creative-Ad8310@reddit

lord of the rings. hitchikers guide to the universe. dresden files. these are my goto books.

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daddydillo892@reddit

Christopher Moore's entire library. They are funny as hell and quick, easy reads. They would be perfect for escaping I to when stuck I side because shit has hit the fan.

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xdocui@reddit

Stephen King the stand!

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jakeblountknows@reddit

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, A Prayer for Owen Meany, For Whom the Bell Tolls, When Breath Becomes Air, The Secret Life of Bees, The Glass Castle, ALL of the Nancy Drew books, and a few Stephen King books.

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Flux_Inverter@reddit

Edgar Rice Burroughs and Harry Harrison

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zachmullenvoice@reddit

The mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson.

I was hooked so quickly on to that the characters would keep me entertained for years to come. Looking forward to diving into Way of Kings soon.

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LackMinute7387@reddit

Wax and Wayne are awesome in the second part

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Big_Block_5271@reddit

The Life of Pi. Great ending, he was right that tiger didn't like him or dislike him.

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Old_Ad5426@reddit

Shakespeare

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popsblack@reddit

It Can Happen Here

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SaraUndr@reddit

Atlas Babylon by Pat Frank

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Agitated-Support-447@reddit

Lord of the rings, red rising series, collections of classic books, dark tower series

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Special_Lion_9828@reddit

Harry Potter books Game of thrones books House of dragons books Frank Ann's diarys Mice of men Stranger things novels

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Over_Walk_8911@reddit

pulp series and collections like Zane Grey, William W. Johnstone, John D. McDonald should be part of it, simple mindless time killers. Sometimes learning something useful isn't what you're after.

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The5thVikingHorseman@reddit

The complete works of Edgar Rice Burroughs

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GLORA-ORB@reddit

Ringworld!

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squirrelbus@reddit

Hatchet, Parable of the Sower, clan of the cave bear, island of the blue dolphins... Anything where the author Did The Research

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stream_inspector@reddit

Wheel of Time books. LOTR. Dune. Lee Child Reacher books. Some Tom Clancy, some Grisham. Stephen King.

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gonyere@reddit

Yes. Add Terry Pratchett's Discworld. And, honestly, whatever else you enjoy. Asimov's Foundation, Allan Eckert, Harry Potter, Dr Suess, Bill Peat and Beverly Cleary, etc.

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jennaclmnt@reddit

James Michener and Michael Crichton as well. And don’t forget Robert Jordan and the man who won’t finish a series, George RR Martin.

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KingRezkin13@reddit

This is all right in my personal wheelhouse. I would add Koontz and Dan Brown, as well as Michael Crichton. Also the R.A. Salvatore books as well.

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stream_inspector@reddit

Shoot. Cant believe i forgot Crichton and Salvatore. I have three shelves of Salvatore.

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Street-Concern1461@reddit

Harry Potter series

Classic books

Young children, Classic fairy tales

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Safe_Mix_515@reddit

Finally get through all the Pern books....anne McCaffrey.....and the All I need to know I learned in kindergarten guy books

IDK..at one time my reading list was 5000+ books long.... I am way behind

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Ok_Rutabaga_722@reddit

Dune series Anything by Piers Anthony

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Safe_Mix_515@reddit

Pornicopia

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Altruistic_Key_1266@reddit

ThriftBooks.com

Don’t buy new. It’s over priced.

I typically don’t recommend books that require a whole lotta brain power to get through. You’re already stressed enough, you want something light and relaxing, nothing dystopian.

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espomar@reddit

Not only buy used, but consider getting an eReader and acquiring eBooks instead.

The typical eReader can hold over 20,000 books these days, they’re waterproof and last a month on a charge (a backpack solar panel is enough to charge them). And they even have colour now too, around $200. This is far less than what you would spend on getting a library of physical books, even used… plus you can carry your whole library with you even if you have to bug out.

You can get just about any book ever printed from the public library or sites like Anna’s Archive or Project Gutenberg. Millions are free.

If you haven’t got one yet, consider getting anything but a Kindle. Kindles are a bit more expensive and tend to lock you into a “walled garden” of dependency on the Amazon platform, especially with a monthly subscription to Kindle Unlimited which allows you to access all books on Amazon via the net. Well guess what… you won’t necessarily have access to the internet in any real crisis. The other issue is that non-Kindle readers are more open: they read more eBook formats (not just PDFs or .epub files) and allow you to sideload whatever you want onto them; Kindles are much more restricted and dependent on a network or WiFi (Whisper) which might not be available.

Finally, repairability and expandability: Kindles are really locked down, they are not meant to be opened or repaired. Other eReaders may allow you to expand memory or install 3rd party software which improve functionality (eg. NickelMenu, KOreader, Plato). Kobo, for example, even publishes the schematics etc for repairs and upgrades and has an Authorized Service supplier:

https://help.kobo.com/hc/en-us/articles/21137184146071-Repair-your-Kobo-eReader

Personally, I have loaded a large library of repair manuals, encyclopedias, cookbooks, guides, and other prepper books like “When there is no Doctor” onto my Kobo Libra Colour. In addition to years worth of fiction literature.

Check out r/kobo and r/ereader subreddits

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Zancie@reddit

You just helped me save roughly $50 on various books that were expensive when buying used through amazon.

Thank you so much!

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Dr_mombie@reddit

Half price books is also good!

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Skwonkie_@reddit

I’ve never heard of this but I usually go to our local thrift shop anyways for that light bedtime reading. That said, I live in a state that’s very red so it’s hard to find anything but lame ass “religious” books by the corpo pastor.

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I_agreeordisagree@reddit

I agree with thriftbooks 100%. Sometimes, you get a good one with notes in the margins, and then it's a whole other adventure!

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LilCompton36@reddit

Don Quixote

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marvinrabbit@reddit

"A Canticle for Leibowitz" by Walter M. Miller Jr.

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Lets-B-Lets-B-Jolly@reddit

Do comic books count? I'd want ALL the main Elfquest series. The first 8 books, at the least. But the recent end of the quests and Stargazer's Hunt would be worth having too.

Despite Gaiman being problematic, I would want all the original "Sandman" graphic novels as well." Fables" as well. "The Walking Dead" is on the nose but awesome.

If you have kids, just some boxes of Spiderman, Superman, Batman, Young Avengers, Ms. Marvel, X-Men and Green Lantern would encourage them to read and draw too.

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premar16@reddit

As an educator, I say comic books count! You are still absorbing a form of literature.

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premar16@reddit

In a post I wrote r/TwoXPreppers I talked about making sure that you have more than 1 copy of some of your favorite books so that you can read them WITH a friend or family member. Reading together is something people enjoy now so when things are bad it might be comforting.

For me I would bring books in a series or a bunch of books from my favorite authors so the experience last longer

For example: Wheel of Time, Archie comics, Symphony of Ages, a lot of Lee Child or David Baldacci books, A Diary for Nicolas (for when I need a good cry), Mists of Avalon, The Lunar Chronicles, some historical fiction, Nancy Drew books (for nostalgia), Readers digest short stories, and some activity books

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Eazy12345678@reddit

game of thrones.

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Mugglekiller16@reddit

The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings Anything written by Brandon Sanderson

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PtowzaPotato@reddit

I love rereading the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy

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repp308@reddit

Wheel of time or Sanderson’s works… either could last a person through a nuclear winter.

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Civil_Cantaloupe2402@reddit

Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons, all the Bob books, children's literature and picture books. They won't grow up to read lotr if we don't have the basics on hand .

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ArcaneLuxian@reddit

Shakespeares entire anthology, Dungeons and Dragons Manuals, Greek Tragedies/Histories/Comedies.

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Small-Ad3551@reddit

Salems Lot or any early Stephen King book, eclxcept cujo.

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Small-Ad3551@reddit

Lonesome Dove

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lushlanes@reddit

The Pillars of the Earth Couldn’t put it down.

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Usnoumed@reddit

Lord of the flies…a cautionary tale for bunker dwelling.

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MommyRaeSmith1234@reddit

Dungeon crawler Carl. Except it’s not finished and I would not like an unfinished series that might never be finished, so 🤔

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cserskine@reddit

Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis Outlander series - Diana Gabaldon Winterdance - Gary Paulsen A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson

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DannyWarlegs@reddit

Literally anything and everything i could, especially books that are anthologies or a series with multiple installments, like A song of ice and fire, Babysitters Club, Goosebumps, etc.

Youd need to take into account multiple generations of readers at various levels. While having Tolkein is great, and having other amazing novels by amazing authors which require a higher skill level of reading is awesome for some youth, and adults- they wont appeal to everyone.

Id even stock up on comic books, graphic novels, etc.

Along with manuals, and training and reference guides, educational books, etc id also say to stock up on an ass ton of coloring and puzzle books, and notebooks of various sizes—from small pocket sized, up to multi hundred page ones and everything in between.

Film novelizations are also great for when the VCR/DVD/TV with a USB to HDMI video player/etc finally dies or stops working.

Id also say having at least 2 computers with the entirety of Wikipedia on them, along with several external hds filled with as many books, movies, tv shows, songs/albums as possible would be a massive benefit too. Having everything in physical media is great, but takes up a ton of space. Unless youre living at an old converted missile silo with a few other families, you might not have that room to spare. But anyone can store a few small 14 inch laptops or tablets, extra batteries, a few e-readers, and a shoebox or 2 filled with 25TB external hard drives filled to the brim with any and everything they can scrounge.

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MaritimeOS@reddit

Some books like 1984 or Fahrenheit 451 or something of a dystopian parable. I think of it as important.

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Imagirl48@reddit

Parable of the Sower.

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ErinRedWolf@reddit

Octavia Butler was quite prescient.

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Imagirl48@reddit

Yes, she was.

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La-Belle-Gigi@reddit

Gag library: any fiction that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, or even having to spend time in a bunker.

This comes from a running gag I had while playing an RPG campaign with friends: whenever they had to travel in a submersible vehicle, the only media available was submarine-themed.

"Das Boot"? Yes. "Run Silent, Run Deep"? Of course. "The Hunt for Ted October"? Book and movie! "Yellow Submarine"? Movie and album, check! Anything from Jacques Cousteau? Yep!

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ErinRedWolf@reddit

Who is Ted October, and did they ever find him? 😜

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La-Belle-Gigi@reddit

Sometimes typos are annoying, sometimes they are entertaining 😅 I think I'll keep.this one.

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ErinRedWolf@reddit

😁

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BetterCallQuasar@reddit

Dungeon Crawler Carl series, by u/hepafilter (Matt Dinniman). Starship Troopers. The Commune series, by Joshua Gayou

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Arixian697@reddit

Happy to see someone recommend DCC

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BetterCallQuasar@reddit

can't help but not.

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Aurochbull@reddit

Another vote for DCC. If it hits the fan before Matt can finish the series I'm gonna lose my actual shit, Quasar.

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Quepedal@reddit

The Constitution and Bill of Rights. Great reads at this point, anyway.

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ErinRedWolf@reddit

I made sure to get hard copies of those, oh, about 9 years ago.

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CultureShipsGSV@reddit

LOTR, Count of Montecristo, Neal Stephenson

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BillyDeCarlo@reddit

Uplifting stuff. The Alchemist for example. Mitch Albom books.

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Johnnys_an_American@reddit

Terry Pratchet Discworld series hands down. I might even like them better than Lord of r he Rings.

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achambers64@reddit

And with 40 titles you will take some time to get through them.

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jedipwnces@reddit

So much heart and humor in that series. Perfect for keeping spirits up!

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Alana_Piranha@reddit

Came here to say this

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Electrical_Fox9678@reddit

Discworld is awesome. Great commentary on human behavior, society, philosophy and religion.

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twenty_lerty@reddit

Lockdown 5 book series by Alexander Gordon Smith

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TheNakedSurfer@reddit

Stormlight archives.

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HappyLife1307@reddit

Outlander Series

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HaribonSugarLand@reddit

Collection of Jules Verne.

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jonny5tud@reddit

The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. So good. And long. Should keep you busy for a few weeks or months depending on how much time you were reading.

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Counterboudd@reddit

I have hundreds of books I haven’t had time to read yet, so I’m kinda banking on the apocalypse happening to give me the time to focus on making it though what I already have…

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Imagirl48@reddit

You and me both.

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lilyandbeearegood@reddit

Buy an extra pair of glasses. You don't want to get Twilight Zoned

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ApprehensiveStand456@reddit

I think the Tom Clancy, Jack Ryan series. There are enough of them to last a week or two :)

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RichMenNthOfRichmond@reddit

1984, brave new world, lord of the flies.

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shaunzie-7274@reddit

Hoping nobody had said R.A. Salvatore yet!

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RufusHank104@reddit

The Road.

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sauravsolo@reddit

The Murderbot Diaries, by Martha Wells.

Dead Silence, by S. A. Barnes.

The Luminous Dead, by Caitlin Starling.

Tender is the Flesh, by Agustina Bazterrica.

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sovereignsekte@reddit

Harry Potter. All of 'em.

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Renagleppolf@reddit

Had to scroll way too far to find this comment.

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adrisc00@reddit

For real

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Renagleppolf@reddit

Buncha snobs around here LOL

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Affectionate_Team679@reddit

Stormlight archive and mistborn series

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ShareMission@reddit

Some of the classic sci fi and fantasy. Maybe some choose your own adventure type books, for replayabikity, including the lone wolf books.

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personguy@reddit

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher and a lot of Neal Stephenson.

The former is like brain candy, the latter is full of deep dives.

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sauravsolo@reddit

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

Check out Craig Schaefer's Daniel Faust series. Highly recommend the audiobooks.

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lostscause@reddit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Way_of_Kings

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preppers-ModTeam@reddit

Please mention the book by name and author. Links with no description are prohibited. People can look up Wikipedia, if necessary.

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MichiganMafia@reddit

The Killer Angels: A Novel of the Civil War

By:Michael Shaara

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Either_Wear5719@reddit

Definitely Mercedes Lackey, probably Terry Brooks Shannara series as well. Both authors have extensive catalogues and although both authors have created complex worlds for their respective series pretty much any of the books is satisfying as a standalone read

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ScottishReaper4@reddit

Personally I've been on a Warhammer (40k/Heresy) kick for about three years now and still haven't gotten bored of the setting. Stocking up on those would be plenty of entertainment for years to come.

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generogue@reddit

If you haven’t run across them yet, I recommend the Caiphas Cain books and the Gaunt’s Ghosts series.

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ScottishReaper4@reddit

They're on the to do list! Trying to get through Dawn of Fire and some more Heresy atm

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hoardac@reddit

Issac Asimov wrote quite a few good books/series.

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TheOneTruBob@reddit

Fun fact: He wrote over 400 books and had published works in every major division of the Dewey Decimal system.

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hoardac@reddit

I did not know that fun fact.

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Sick-Happens@reddit

His mysteries are surprisingly good, even though you only ever hear about his sci-fi or nonfiction.

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EntrepreneurFun5627@reddit

Caves of Steel is genuinely great as a detective novel.

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hoardac@reddit

That was a good one.

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hoardac@reddit

I think I read a collection of short mysteries from him.

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Dangerous-Kick8941@reddit

His stuff all ties together too.

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BigJSunshine@reddit

Totally.

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literally_a_raccoon@reddit

The Rangers Apprentice series by John Flannigan

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sfsp3@reddit

The Belgariad

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ErinRedWolf@reddit

My husband and I love that series and have read it multiple times. It would be a fun one to read aloud to each other by lamplight.

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sfsp3@reddit

They're some of my favorite books. Have read The Redemption of Althalus? Same author.

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ErinRedWolf@reddit

We haven’t! Is it as good as The Belgariad?

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sfsp3@reddit

Almost.

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grethro@reddit

Everything Brandon Sanderson.

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Penandsword2021@reddit

Stephen King’s Dark Tower series seems like a good fit.

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Successful-Turnip606@reddit

The Expanse series.

I may be in that bunker for a while.

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CryHavoc3000@reddit

Just about everything on my shelf and in storage. Including role-playing games.

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mcliber@reddit

The entire Disc World series.

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dusk322@reddit

Shakespeare's complete works. It will make your descent into madness more interesting.

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Pakala-pakala@reddit

'Tis a noble notion, good fellow. I thank thee.

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jkylelink@reddit

And you and your mates can do a table read!

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HummousTahini@reddit

I took Shakespeare in college, and this is how our class read all his works, because that's how our professor said they were meant to be read.

Falstaff is OG.

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jkylelink@reddit

Farty Falstaff!

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rosetta_tablet@reddit

They also have very tiny versions of these, so you wouldn't have to use too much space for them.

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Minute-Man-Mark@reddit

D&D players handbook and dungeon masters guide.

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WoahEli@reddit

Andy Weir’s “The Martian” is probably my favorite book of all time. I’ve read it probably a dozen times by now

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HummousTahini@reddit

I like the Martian - re-read all three of his novels earlier this year, which got me going onto Jurassic Park, Lost World...now I'm onto the "Alien" movie novelization.

I think I like his novel Artemis a bit more than The Martian. Would make a good movie, too.

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elleandbea@reddit

Did you read Project Hail Mary? It's good too! Some author!

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Acrobatic_Try_429@reddit

Readers Digest condensed books makes it easy to get something for everyone . Buy used and they are everywhere.

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goldman1290@reddit

Probably some classic stuff, Mark Twain, Tolkien, Shakespeare, Harry Potter, Stephen King Garth Nix

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Mercuryshottoo@reddit

Not any Stephen King, I know that much

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8jun3bugs@reddit

Everything Samantha Shannon has written so far; adrienne maree brown's The Grievers Trilogy; Elizabeth Moon's The Deed of Paksenarrion trilogy and sequel series; the collected works of Octavia Butler; the collected works of Mark Twain; and stacks of P.G. Workhorse novels.

And that's just the start. 😂

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Legal-Contract-7187@reddit

Helldivers by Nicholas sandsbury smith

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Afraid_Ad_2140@reddit

We dive so humanity survives!!!

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Legal-Contract-7187@reddit

Terrific books

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TheLostExpedition@reddit

Little house on the prairie.
Lord of the rings Battlestar Galactica Journey to the center of the earth A stack of coloring books

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nakedonmygoat@reddit

Whatever you choose, make sure it's something funny. I've been through a lot of stressful natural disaster situations and the books that got me through were the ones that made me laugh. Satire works well in such situations. You need to be able to see the dark humor in your situation.

A close second is what I call "comfort books," those books you've read before and that feel like old friends.

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oddhat2020@reddit

I have 10k digital books on a ebook with decent battery. I am also slowly building my collection of physical books.

Not going to suggest any books because I'd recommend going with something you enjoy. Action movies = action books. Do some reading and find out what you like.

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JanieLFB@reddit

Any of the Myth books by Robert Asprin… if I recall the correct author.

Some of the older SciFi I read back in the 1970s had funny spots and I think a lot of the humor was over my head at my preteen age. The older books weren’t aimed at middle school reading level and they were an exercise in vocabulary.

The James Herriot books are pretty good. There are several collections. The best parts of his books were made into the PBS series “All Creatures Great and Small”.

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CountryRoads2020@reddit

The Immortals series from Piers Anthony.

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Altruistic_Key_1266@reddit

I’m so glad I’m not the only one who has ever read piers Anthony. His xanth series is foundation of all my humor. Kids hate me for it 😂

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Michaelalayla@reddit

Ooo glad you mentioned him, actually I'd want his Xanth series. I should read the Immortality ones. Are they in a similar style?

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CountryRoads2020@reddit

I've not read the Xanth series - sounds like something I need to check out. I simply love the Immortals series - even Satan. Growing up Catholic it was hard for me to see that particular character in a different light, but the book opened my eyes.

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Lethalmouse1@reddit

Going back to finish the Hardy Boys might be fun.

I think some short stories could bang, things like the works of Edgar Allen Poe. Like little "tv episodes" lol.

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Dr_mombie@reddit

I have Poe's complete works. They're not actually the greatest. He has fantastic ideas, but his writing style was train of thought more often than organized storytelling. His longer stories are tedious to read because he will go off on tangents and explore a thought before making a snap return to the actual plot of the story.

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Lethalmouse1@reddit

Well... I guess you wouldn't like my comments on deep topics on this site lol.

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Dr_mombie@reddit

It's fine to disagree on the authors we enjoy. There are enough writers out there for everyone to find the genres, authors, or writing styles that speak to their souls.

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Lethalmouse1@reddit

Well, it was the way you worded it, it sounded like you were describing me the way my haters describe me lol.

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Dr_mombie@reddit

We're strangers. It's not that deep lol

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_YGGDRAS1L@reddit

I have the complete works of Poe (and Lovecraft, separately) on my bookshelf. The short stories and poems in one book. It's great; you can get through a story on one sitting, or a few poems. I think that's the way to go, just for some diversity in story. Grimms fairytales are also a good choice IMO.

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Lethalmouse1@reddit

Grimm and Aesop is good.

Honestly, some form of comic books can come in nice. Calvin and Hobbes or a collection of various comics from Newspaper stylings.

Come to think of it, Newspapers were sort of the reading-TV. A little news, a few games, some funnies, and sometimes a fiction publication.

I mean "Playboy for the Articles" was a meme, but it also wasn't wrong.

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BallsOutKrunked@reddit (OP)

Yeah, I know what you mean. I've read some big classics and while they're awesome there's something to be said for something that can be finished within a day or three.

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Lethalmouse1@reddit

I think it can be good in the hypothetical too, where you are bouncing around different things like "normal". If you have family.

Shorter potential read-a-louds. Shorter individual ignoring everyone time.

A bit of readingins dispersed between card/board games etc.

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TacTurtle@reddit

Ring of Fire / 1632 series.

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SOAW76@reddit

The Postman: The Bell, The Book, and The Candle; For Whom the Bell Tolls; The Idiot; The Remaining Series by DJ Molles; almost anything Dean Koontz

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Lisabodymods@reddit

Jean M Auel - The Clan of the Cave Bear series

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dittybopper_05H@reddit

Heinlein.

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polydrummer97@reddit

All 3 books written by Andy Weir. The Martian, Artemis and Project Hail Mary

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ZincLloyd@reddit

Moby Dick by Herman Melville. It’s a book about everything.

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KublaiCan50@reddit

Here are some of my favorite….The last kingdom book series, Hawaii by J Mishner, South by E. Shackleton, The three musketeers and the Conte of monte Christo by A. Duma, Gates of fire by Steven Pressfield, The Martian by Andy Weir, etc…

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heansepricis@reddit

Animorphs holds up really well as an adult reader.

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VariationDifferent@reddit

J.R.R. Tolkien: I'll finally have time to sit and really read and think about The Silmarillon.

Glen Cook: Yeah, I've read them all before, but they're good enough that I've reread, and reread them and will do so again.

Jim Butcher: Ditto. Plus, who wouldn't appreciate a Pokémon/Lost Roman Legion mashup‽

Terry Pratchett: Maybe I'll finally open up The Shepard's Crown — it's been sitting on my shelf all these years.

Isaac Asimov: My dad used to read Asimov's novels when I was a kid; Foundation was the first one I picked up, but I recall it being a bit dry for pre-teen me. The Caves of Steel was much more compelling! I still think of my dad when I think about Asimov.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: I read The First Circle and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich while at Uni, and both novels profoundly struck me, and that feeling has stuck with me in the decades since. Wasn't until then that I understood why there was a copy of The Gulag Archipelago on the bookshelf growing up — Solzhenitsyn is raw and compelling.

Robert Heinlein: Wide-ranging, wild, sometimes disturbingly weird. Fun SciFi. Have Spacesuit, Will Travel was the first of his books I recall reading and enjoying, and Starship Troopers was another, though I've found that, unlike some other authors, I don't enjoy my rereads of Heinlein quite as much — don't get me wrong, I still enjoy them, but maybe not to the same degree as I do something like Cook's The Black Company.

John Steakley: Armor. Felix. The Machine. Sometimes, when shit gets tough, you gotta let The Machine handle it. Been a few times in my life where I've needed to embrace that philosophy. Paid for it later, sometimes, too, but I can't be certain the outcome would have been better if I hadn't made the dispassionate decisions.

Alan Dean Foster: Maybe not all of his works, but definitely The Mocking Program. Damn it, ADF, I need a sequel to this!

Probably some others I'd want to reread; these were just the ones that immediately sprang to mind.

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jedipwnces@reddit

Just for me? Dystopian, sci-fi, and mystery stuff plus my favorite re-reads (The Hunger Games, Mistborn, Pride & Prejudice). For a group? I'd make sure there's a good mix of age groups represented in the library. Don't skip the kiddos, they'll need entertainment too! Different recommendations for different age groups, but I'd prioritize the most timeless stories, books with a good sense if humor, and those with illustrations of places you can't travel to easily.

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antizoyd@reddit

The Lord of the Rings trilogy for epic escapism and The Martian for witty, practical survival humor. Both are fantastic morale boosters.

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arclight_echo@reddit

GoT and all sequels

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SirGinger76@reddit

Dnd Dragonlance books - dragons of autumn twilight series plus others, Lord of the Rings & other works, the chronicles of narnia, the kingdoms of thorn & bone by Gregg Keyes, those are the only ones I’ve gotten into so far, I need to finish them, love them!

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dellyj2@reddit

Have you read The Deathgate Cycle by Weis & Hickman? It’s great.

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grubbygromit@reddit

War and peace should kill a fair it of time.

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Possession-Amazing@reddit

She’s come undone by walley lamb, anything by William s. Burroughs, Hemingway, or bukowski

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Traditional_Neat_387@reddit

Micheal Crichton Jurassic Park and the Lost World personally

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IdealDesperate2732@reddit

I have a personal library of science fiction novels I'd love to bring with, if you have space.

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maxillo@reddit

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress Novel by Robert A. Heinlein

Good book about revolution.

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Street_Captain4731@reddit

My NAS has a library of ebooks that's about 250,000 titles, about 1/4 is fiction. I have around a thousand physical books. For fiction titles that I could grab from my home library; I'd like a lot of Neal Stephenson (at least The Baroque Cycle), Tolkien (everything), the only six Dune novels that exist, some Stephen King, Rainbow Six.

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tiktakt0w@reddit

Tons of manga would be ideal for me.

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digitalr0nin@reddit

Tao Te Ching

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duckofdeath6386@reddit

Horatio Hornblower series.

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Afraid_Ad_2140@reddit

I see we have another distinguished gentlemen in our midst. Excellent book.

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mrfixdit@reddit

Sackets

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Afraid_Ad_2140@reddit

Hatchet series by Gary Paulson Metro series by Dmitry Glukhovsky Hell diver series by Nicholas Smith The last Brigade series by William Allen webb

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BigJSunshine@reddit

All my favorites. Including some childrens books.

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Bllyscrpr@reddit

Antifragile

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luckofthedrew@reddit

Someone mentioned Discworld. I think that’s a great choice for the sheer variety of stories and moods in that series. I would also recommend a complete collection of Ursula K LeGuin’s fiction. It’s exciting fantasy/sci-fi, but it’s also very metitative and encourages inner quiet, so it’s full of values that I think would be very important to dwell on when holed up.

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Mysterious_Cow_2100@reddit

The Redemption of Althalus (fantasy), Monster Hunter International series (good for gun nuts), and for Warhammer 40K: the Horus Heresy series, Eisehorn, Ravenor, and Bequin trilogies. Ya welcome!

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arequipapi@reddit

Early Kurt Vonnegut. Funny, light-hearted, re-readable, also poignant

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PreptheFlep@reddit

Earth abides, hemingway complete works, fitzgerald complete works, remarque complete works (everything except the first 3 romantic Novels), Game of Thrones, kvothe Saga Patrick Rothfuss, invincible complete comics, berserk, John williams all 4 books except Augustus, dragon ball - all mangas, tokyp revengers Harry Potter, a few books about Art (giger, Goya, dürer), and a few books about cool guitars.

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xgridgooroo@reddit

The alchemist

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deu3id@reddit

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle maintenance

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Many-Health-1673@reddit

Paperback Louis Lamour and Zane Grey westerns.

J.R.R.Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Elmore Leonard, Robert Ruark, Ernest Hemingway (short stories and hunting adventures mostly),Jim Corbett, Peter Capstick, Arthur Conan Doyle, Forest Carter.

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BreezyMcWeasel@reddit

The Red Rising series
The Martian
The Chronicles of Narnia
Red Storm Rising

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MoistExcellence@reddit

Popular series in different genres. Louis L'Amour. Tom Clancy. Agatha Christie. Steven King. Neal Stephenson. Alistair Reynolds. You're going to have a lot of time to read, have variety.

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MsNamkhaSaldron@reddit

Murakami.

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Carnifex91@reddit

Classical literature exists because it’s stood the test of time. Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey; Ovid’s Metamorphoses; Vergil’s Aeneid. These and many, many other works have persisted for millennia at this point. They’re not easy reads, but they’d be helpful for maintaining western civilization.

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Weatherbeaster1993@reddit

The classics, Poe, Twain, Hemingway,

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anon202one@reddit

The entire Silo series.

Yes, I know, it's a little on the nose.

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rosetta_tablet@reddit

I don't know if it would help or hurt 😂

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anon202one@reddit

Hey, it was either that or the Murderbot Diaries series. And, well, depending on the cause of the need to bug out...

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Eleutherian8@reddit

The Bhagavad Gita. Collapse will present to you your sacred duty, or duties. The Gita can help you become attached to action, rather than the fruit of action. Times will be hard, and many endeavors will not work out. It will be paramount to have a purpose and moral compass, otherwise, you may as well just be a rattlesnake.

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scoolio@reddit

Lucifers Hammer

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DickRubnuts@reddit

The King Killer Chronicles. Great books with great re-readability.

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pyromancer599@reddit

hot take:

dr. stone manga

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t53deletion@reddit

Percy Jackson series Cherub series Spy school series Rama series Everything by ACC Tolstoy Clancy

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Main_Science2673@reddit

1001 Arabian nights. Most are short enough that you can do a couple a night.

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Valuable-Common743@reddit

Wiggenstein’s Wife

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HerbDaLine@reddit

Robert Heinlein - Stranger In A Strange Land, Starship Troopers. Heinlein has several series including a series of children's books. NOTE - Heinlein had a large vocabulary and I need a dictionary to read his books. He really expands my vocabulary. He also makes up words. One word is "Grok" from Stranger In A Strange Land. Maybe you recognize it?

Elizabeth Moon - Vattas War (5 books) & Vattas Peace (2 books) in each series. Her other works are also good.

David Drake - anything related to the Hammers Slammers series. He has other great stuff as well.

William W Johnstone - anything from the Ashes series to the Mountain Man series. Johnstone passed away in 2003 and many stories have "written with" under Johnstone's name but were all published after his death.

If you go to a booksamillion or Barnes and Noble you can get short story anthologies from the magazine section.

If you can save podcasts for later use there are many podcasts based on story telling from classics to new writers you never heard of. It might be a good use for an old phone or tablet.

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Noir-Nymphette@reddit

i’d throw in Lord of the Rings or Wheel of Time… long series = tons of hours killed.

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KaWormrider@reddit

The dark tower series by Stephen King, Lotr, the monster hunter international series by Larry Correia

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TargetOfPerpetuity@reddit

This is a topic I've considered for a hot minute, and our book collection reflects that. I've read/own basically all of the following for that reason. I also have digital text and audiobook copies. Being that we're a family with kids, and good storytelling, moral fortitude, character, and humor are still important when you're in a stressful situation:

Lord of the Rings of course, with the Hobbit, Silmarillion, Unfinished Takes, and Tolkien's other works.

The Book of Virtues and its sequel by Bill Bennet.

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George – the original kids survival book, and by my thinking superior to Gary Paulson's Hatchet.

In that same vein – The Cay, Island of the Blue Dolphins, Sign of the Beaver and Incident at Hawk's Hill, by Theodore Taylor, Scott O'Dell, Elizabeth George Speare, and Allen W. Eckert, respectively.

The Old Man and the Boy by Robert Rourke which is probably not exactly fiction by not exactly a biography either. Phenomenal read if you wish you were a kid in the outdoors again.

The complete collection of Sherlock Holmes. by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.

The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.

The Winds of Light series. Sigmund Brouwer

The Great Brain series by John D. Fitzgerald

Dune series by Frank Herbert

James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales.

C.S. Lewis collection.

Madeleine L'Engle collection.

Jane Austen collection.

Mark Twain collection.

Dickens collection.

O. Henry collection.

Complete works of Shakespeare, obviously.

Seventeen, Penrod, and Penrod and Sam by Booth Tarkington.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.

The Hitchhiker's Guide series by Douglas Adams.

Poetry and short story collections/complete works:

Shelley

Keats

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Longfellow

Oscar Wilde

Robert Frost

Kipling

Tennyson

Emerson

Dorothy Parker

Chaucer

Robert Burns

Lord Byron

Emily Dickinson

I would also add a NKJV, the Little Golden Book Illustrated Children's Bible, and a good hymnal.

Oh and the complete series of Twilight, Harry Potter, and The Wheel of Time.... just in case we run out of toilet paper.

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BackOnTheCheese@reddit

All the Michael Crichton thrillers except his last 2 or 3, which were substandard. Also, most of James Clavell's novels, E.L Doctorow's novels, and Ablutions and The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt. And a bunch of sci-fi including works by Gibson, Herbert, Heinlein, et al.

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Hello-Witchling@reddit

The Beartown trilogy and everything else by Backman.

Also all of Sarah J Mass’ books and the fourth wing series.

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DNCOrGoFuckYourself@reddit

Metro series, Roadside Picnic, and my favorite mental health book: Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Mechanics

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felixthecat59@reddit

Most of Clive Cussler's books. Jules Verne, H.G.Wells, Jasper Forrde, and Charlaine Harris

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IsaacNewtonArmadillo@reddit

Cosmos by Carl Sagan

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geekyreaderautie@reddit

Also Contact by Sagan.

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No_Concern3607@reddit

I’d just get plenty of paper and pens and write my own books.

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Competitive_Remote40@reddit

O'Henry Prize stories are published every year. I'd take a few of those.

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usedtobebrainy@reddit

Anything by Frederick Forsyth. Entertaining thrillers with a dry wit about the narrative voice occasionally.

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Bedazzled_Buttholes@reddit

It’s short, but I absolutely love The Forever War

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thebombadier@reddit

The dark tower series,the Clifford Ashley book of knots and the dragon circle trilogy by Craig shaw Gardener as well as some pulp or my old Alfred Hitchcock serial books my grandmother had there was about 4 or 5 story's per issue

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aleister94@reddit

All of Stephen kings books

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tr0028@reddit

Shantaram. The dark tower series.

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ladyangua@reddit

Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett - it's a huge (41) series of books that are intertwined but also stand alone. The books are laugh-out-loud-on-the-bus funny, an important feature when the world is looking grim, while at the same time helping you keep your humanity.

Some of my favourite quotes are “Sin, young man, is when you treat people like things. Including yourself. That’s what sin is.” from Carpe Jugulum and “You can‘t go around building a better world for people. Only people can build a better world for people. Otherwise it‘s just a cage.” from Witches Abroad.

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Freebirde777@reddit

Stuff that you can re- read, like books by Heinlein, L'Amour, C.S. Lewis, and the classics. You can sometimes pick up school literature books at yard sales.-

If you might be sharing space with some small ones, Gary Paulsen, along with F.W. Dixon. I have collected most of the "Boxcar Children" books, a few at a time, from Goodwill over the years.

If any of you live near me, I am a book dragon that cannot hold paper books very well these days and is looking to distribute my hoard.

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bikehikepunk@reddit

In college I was reading Lamour too much. I was walking in my urban area thinking about ducking behind bushes while a posse was searching. I was in a western state, and definitely in a western state of mind.

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Steelergate@reddit

Wheel of Time

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Visual-Wolf2363@reddit

Jerry Aherns "The Survivalist" is an entertaining series ,severely dated but it's like Reacher in survival mode.

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Reverend_Mikey@reddit

A lot of good suggestions. Definitely have a few complete collections of a series. In addition to what's already been suggested - Sherlock Holmes, The Leatherstocking Tales, Count of Monte Cristo and Three Musketeers, James Bond novels, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Clancy's Jack Ryan series

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commentator3@reddit

MAD magazines

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bikehikepunk@reddit

I have not seen one in years, but wow these were great.

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Arixian697@reddit

As a few have mentioned the Dungeon Crawler Carl series is a must. I haven’t seen anyone mention the Earth Children’s series by Jean Aul. The Clan of the Cave Bear is the first book. Amazing read with a great story but also a ton of great survival info. I would also add some mystery books like Sherlock Holmes. Things to keep your mind guessing. Non fiction I would add everything written by Robert Fulgum, Walden as well and I think Dick Proneki wrote a book I’d like to get.

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bikehikepunk@reddit

Paperbacks are awesome, I may have a hardback in my library for my favorites, but I also have a paperback that is light and will be great to leave at the cabin.

By author:

Douglas Adams (Hitchhikers guide) JRR Tolkien (Lord of the rings) Chuck Wendig (newer stuff, wanderers & Star Wars) Benjamin Wallace ( Boom Box, Librarian) Kurt Vonnegut Rebecca Yarros (Fourth Wing)

Non-fiction Jon Krakauer (into the wild, into thin air, under the banner of heaven) My non-fiction library is massive…..

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Natahada@reddit

The Far side

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Nomad_5384@reddit

I love almost everything mentioned above.A feminine pov: Divine Secrets of the YA-YA Sisterhood, The Time Traveler's Wife, Memoirs of a Geisha, A Christmas Carol, Little Women, and my English Lit textbook from college as it's chock full of great short stories and poetry with discussion points.

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Mr_MacGrubber@reddit

All the Dungeon Crawler Carl books (7 to this point). It won’t be as good as the audiobook versions but they provide a lot of enjoyment.

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Chickenman70806@reddit

Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick Obrian.

20 books of spectacular literature

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Conscious_Row_7773@reddit

Anything by Kurt Vonnegut

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jkylelink@reddit

(iykyk)

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Ok_Entrance9126@reddit

The Dungeon Crawler Carl series of course! “You will not break me!”

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WeighTheSameAsADuck@reddit

Ray Bradbury's sci fi anthologies. John Steinbeck - East of Eden. The Bloom County cartoon books from the 80s. Robert Heinlein - Friday, Farnham's Freehold, Citizen of the Galaxy, and The Door Into Summer.

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thisismyecho@reddit

The Survivalist series by A. American. It’s got lots of reminders of how /what to do in a SHTF situation, built around fictional scenarios.

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Sick-Happens@reddit

The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. You need some humor and escapism in a situation like that.

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nmcpheron@reddit

Ian Fleming James Bond books. Also, a bunch of Warhammer 40k books. And the classics like 20,000 leagues, John Carter, journey to the center of the earth, the lost world, anything with Alan Quartermaine, around the world in 80 days, Dracula, Mary Shellys Frankenstein, all the Sherlock Holmes, etc. But obviously the already mentioned Hobbit and lord of the rings.

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Jukka_Sarasti@reddit

Stephen King's Dark Tower series, The Shining, etc
Bank's "Culture" series
Peter F. Hamilton's space operas and Greg Mandel series
Richard K. Morgan's Altered Carbon and A Land Fit for Heroes series
Martha Wells' Murderbot Diaries, her Stargate stuff, and her fantasy works, etc
Adrian Tchaikovsky has a lot of great fiction, both science and high/low-fantasy. Spiderlight, The Children of Time series, bioforms series, and so on.

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GPwarrior0709@reddit

Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings

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Sometimes_Wright@reddit

Craig Alanson's Expeditionary Force series. All of them! You'll be set for months

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huscarlaxe@reddit

My off grid hunting cabin has these and "The walking drum" is upstairs.

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commentator3@reddit

not V.C. Andrews

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commentator3@reddit

Pat effin' Conroy

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Reditgett@reddit

Catcher in the Rye.

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insanemembrain666@reddit

The Expanse.

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Styl3Music@reddit

I'm going to try for books I'm not seeing others put.

Inheritance Cycle/Eragon series by Paolini: Fantasy series with excellent world building and a complex yet simple magic system. Some of the best descriptions of armed combat in the 2nd and 3rd books I've ever read.

Cell by Stephen King: Unique post apocalyptic. There are some scenes that aren't appropriate for young children. Stephen King has a lot of books that are hit and miss for many people, so maybe grab a bunch of his stuff.

Inkheart by Funke: A book about characters from books coming alive. Kinda young adult. Some oc characters and classic novel characters.

Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy: I'm not the biggest Clancy fan, but I loved this book. The villains are well wrote and humanized. Really a military thriller with some excellent characters and science.

Contact Harvest by Joe Staten: It's a Halo novel, but I think it does great on its own. It's about a distant colony having first contact with extraterrestrials. If you like AI, philosophy, and Halo, then check out the Kilo-5 series as well.

Rhapsody series by Elizabeth Hayden: A fantasy series with a lot of action, traveling, and sex.

Redwall series by Brian Jaques: A fantasy series with anthromorphic animals that's just perfect for children and adults. Usually, they have a violent climax, though.

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teddy_n_beddy@reddit

Childhoods end.

And hitchhikers guide to the galaxy

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shadowsipp@reddit

Autobiographies of whoever you look up to. And mother goose tales

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Lonely_Technology@reddit

Lots of people recommending their favorite books and such, but I’d like to offer a more nuanced answer. I would strongly recommend checking out some lists that discuss books that are part of the greater western canon.

Great Works of the Western World is a very large collection sold as a set and contains a broad smattering of the western canon. It’s quite expensive to buy new, somewhat less so used, but you can also just look up the contents and buy the books used. Most of the contents are in the public domain and thus available free online.

While these lists are not exhaustive, and can be the source of fierce debate, the works in question are broadly considered to be worthy of reading, rereading, studying, and revisiting. Some of these works have been highly regarded for hundreds of years.

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irish_faithful@reddit

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series Harry Potter series Every Tom Clancy book. That should get you through the apocalypse.

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AnnualDragonfruit123@reddit

The unabridged version of Stephen King’s The Stand

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g8rBfKn@reddit

Gentlemen bastards sequence

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snazzynewshoes@reddit

I've got Time Life's The Civil War and World War 11. 20+ volumes each AND they have pictures. Larry Niven is my favorite Si-Fi author and I have a shelf of his books followed closely by Heinlein. The Iliad and Odyssey along with Plato and the Stoics...a couple or 3 mythology books...

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commentator3@reddit

any encyclopedias

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International656@reddit

Lotr The inheritance series The king killer chronicles The Bartimaeus series Probably a few others I could come up with but those are high up there. Piers Anthony has a good series, incarnations of immortality

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Fusiliers3025@reddit

For me - the Leatherstocking Tales by James Fenimore Cooper would top the list. It’s an acquired taste, but it would sure while away the hours!

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lilchileah77@reddit

Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson

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FiercestBunny@reddit

Maybe some anthologies like those bound Readers Digest ones or old Ellery Queen mystery magazines?

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tilegend@reddit

The twilight saga

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Desperate-Farmer-170@reddit

Physician’s desk reference…
hollowed out, inside: waterproof matches, iodine tablets, beets seeds, protein bars, NASA blanket, and, in case I get bored, Harry Potter and Sorcerer’s Stone.
No, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Question: did my shoes come off in the apocalypse?

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TopGrowa@reddit

If gonna be holed up for longer than a month I would have a section in the library dedicated to pushing the imagination. Magical, fantasy, scifi, a little old school books where you have to make a choice and flip to that page, some old Sherlock Holmes short stories, definitely some fiction books that go on for more than 4 books (like a continuation but not necessarily Harry Potter there are def others that'll do) and some dramas

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WhereDidAllTheSnowGo@reddit

Anthologies of all the classics from around the world

Only the best literature, now you’ve finally time to enjoy it

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davin_bacon@reddit

Louis L'Amour The sacketts, terrible westerns, but my dad had every single one when I was a kid, growing up 17 miles from town, and only having a few tv channels meant I read them all, the first real book series I read. They made deer hunting less boring for a 12 year old freezing his ass off. I really enjoyed the early ones about life in England, and colonial America. Fur trade and early settlers always fascinated me.

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ChoosyChuck@reddit

Anything by John Scalzi. He's known for Old Man's War, but everything I've read from him is extremely hard to put down.

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thestreep@reddit

Starter Villain is my favorite of his.

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NoExternal2732@reddit

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe series, Dune series, LOTR, all of Neal Stephenson's stuff, The Expanse, The Ultimate Hitchhiker's series, Enders game series, Harry Potter series, Dr. Suess collected works, all of the high school classics (Of mice and Men, Animal Farm, Crime and Punishment etcetera), Shakespeare's work, Beatrix Potter, Eric Carle, Percy Jackson series, Wings of Fire series, CJ Cherryh, Larry Niven...

I'm just listing stuff I liked reading, I've given up trying to figure put who is cancelled this week.

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snazzynewshoes@reddit

Shout out for Niven!

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Mother_Winter_7650@reddit

Ender's Game is fantastic though the second book kind of sucks

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mattcpiismagic@reddit

If you consider Ender's Shadow book 2 it's a fantastic read

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sorry_ifyoudont@reddit

Enders saga was the first thing that came to my mind too

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trombonist2@reddit

Count of Monte Cristo

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Xtrainman@reddit

I'd put Still Life with Woodpecker, By Tim Robbins.

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snazzynewshoes@reddit

I like a lot of Robbins. Jitterbug Perfume is my favorite.

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Old-Cheesecake-9277@reddit

The Worthing Saga

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coinpile@reddit

The entirety of First Contact by Ralts. It’s massive, was originally posted to Reddit and is still here, and is easily the best fiction I have ever read.

https://fcgestalt.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Chapters

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OkraLegitimate1356@reddit

The entire After Z series by JS Patrick.

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talk_show_host1982@reddit

The three Body Problem series.

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bigexplosion@reddit

Ken follett. He does wordy entertaining historical fictions that are pretty interesting. I don't care for the century trilogy though, they get pretty bad by the end. But his most famous is pillars of the earth and its great. I like him a lot because used hardcovers are very easy to find very cheaply.

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ReactionAble7945@reddit

I listen when I can listen, vs. reading. It is easier on my brain, but of course, that means I need electronics.

What do you like to read NOW?

If you like sci fi, then google up 100 best Sci-Fi books?

If you like Westerns, then google up 100 best westerns?

If you like Romance....

If you like.... smut...

Then there is the other search. I searched for the best western writers and then went looking for books that we free to me in audible format. I have several gigs of audio books at this point. Odds are I will never get through them all. And I know I have several duplicates that are all, just different readers.

And while not exactly fiction.... I would suggest getting books on all the major religions. Believe what you want, but it is sometimes nice to know what the other person believes. There are also books which can help you understand your own religion.

Some books of special note:

Lonesome Dove.
Zane Grey
Louie Lamore
The ultimate Science Fiction mega collection, Jules Vern, HG Wells, ...
Not exactly fiction and not exactly non-fiction, Peter Hathaway Chapstick.
Michael Sullivan's collection. I think I have read him out.
Matt Donniman collection.
Tolkien Collection.
Jack Kerouac
Jim Butcher, Dresden files. The rest of his work I don't care for.
Doctor Who books.
Star Wars books.
Sherlock Holmes (the complete collection), in book format this is HUGE!.
Journal of a Trapper: Nine Years in the Rocky Mountains, 1834-1843
Isaac Asimov, some people love him, I don't.
P. L. Travers
Nick Pirog
Complete Book of Five Rings
J.K. Rowling (The books are written for kids, I tried as an adult and only made it through book1. But... If I had a kid and needed a book for them...)
A Hunter's Fireside Book: Tales of Dogs, Ducks, Birds, & Guns

21 Jack London.

And that is just a start of my library.

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One-Entrepreneur-361@reddit

Tolkien

Brandon mull

George orwell

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ElonTaco@reddit

The entire horus heresy and 40k series lol. You'll have years of entertainment.

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Slut_for_Bacon@reddit

Most of my suggestions have movie/shows made about them, but the books are better in pretty much every case

LOTR (High Fantasy) AOIAF (High Fantasy) The Expanse (sci-fi) Dublin Murder Squad (Detective Series) Sharpe (Historical Fiction) Last Kingdom (Historical Fiction) Frankly anything by Bernard Cornwell Anything by Cormac McCarthy (Maybe a little depressing for a SHTF scenario) Anything by Kristin Hannah (Also depressing, but good books) Anything by Chuck Palahnuik

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imjusthereforthefaps@reddit

The Earth Abides by George R Stewart

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TravellingVeryLight@reddit

Cormac Mccarthy

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thescatterling@reddit

Get the Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian. The movie “Master and Commander” is loosely based on the books. Truly excellent work and you’ll come back to it time and time again.

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scottthebard@reddit

A glass of wine with you

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thescatterling@reddit

Killick will serve toasted cheese. Grumpily.

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ChrisLS8@reddit

Anything by

LE Modisitt

Steven Erickson

Peter Brett

Calvin and Hobbs

Also im still a fan of the Redwall Series from my childhood so

Brian Jacques

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nobody4456@reddit

Peter F Hamilton’s void saga and the reality dysfunction. Lots to unpack and a great read.

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BallsOutKrunked@reddit (OP)

It looks like that guy has a lot of books, is there a series order?

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travtastic3@reddit

Back in 2006 I sat down on a park bench to read Pandora's Star. I checked my watch after a little while and it had been four hours.

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Highkmon@reddit

The cosmere, great fantasy series.

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PotentialOneLZY5@reddit

Adventures of Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn.

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Johnny-Unitas@reddit

Wheel Of Time and likely The Witcher.

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NVM1816@reddit

The Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher

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kkinnison@reddit

Discworld books by Terry Pratchett

enough books you can read them chronologically, and go back without getting bored. Very quotable.

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arkad_tensor@reddit

Tom Clancy, Michael Chrichton, etc.

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Thoth-long-bill@reddit

Shakespeare is in my go bag

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CCWaterBug@reddit

Dies the fire. (Emberverse)

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ihatepickingnames_@reddit

Anything from Robert Ludlum. I’m not usually into westerns but I read all the Louis L'Amour books when I was young and they were great.

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HappyAnimalCracker@reddit

Anything by Philip K Dick

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BallsOutKrunked@reddit (OP)

I guess since this is my thread I'll throw out there the His Dark Materials trilogy. My wife and I read it (back around 2003), loved them!

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ninjainthedisco@reddit

If you're sitting around with a group, a a TTRPG, like dungeons and dragons, and a set of dice, will spend dozens to hundreds of hours in stimulating entertainment.

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SiteFalse8896@reddit

Hell fire club by Jake Tapper. It’s somewhat historical fiction but it’s a trilogy. Very entertaining

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SoundAndFury87@reddit

I feel like you'd probably want books which are hopefull and inspiring. Anything man vs wild, overcoming trials, triumph of the human spirit, etc. You're probably not going to want to read The Road during the end times. Maybe some Terry Pratchett? Light, relaxing, funny. Cut the tension a little bit.

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WiseExtreme681@reddit

Shogun

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Gatsmith219@reddit

I like Cormac McCarthy. All his books. Hmm not much a reader these days though.

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Quiet-Reputation7698@reddit

All Dostoyevsky, Nabokov, Tolkien, and my absolute fav "Master and Margarita" by Bulgakov

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Straight-Event-4348@reddit

Louis lamour westerns

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foreverbored4619@reddit

I'd do all the mark Twain novels. Honest there is no wrong answer.

Id also consider grabbing a kindle or e reader and loading it down with books that don't have copy right anymore . ( Like the library of archive.org ).

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Yolus@reddit

Kurt Vonnegut, Fahrenheit 451, Red Rising series, Dungeon Crawler Carl series

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CroatoanElsa@reddit

Jane doe by Victoria helen stone. Perfect book.

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susanrez@reddit

I’d want works by great authors. Mark Twain, James Joyce, Shakespeare, Tsung Tzu, Jane Austen, Hemingway, Virginia Wolf, Poe, Mary Shelley, etc. I would also have Finnegan’s Wake as a challenge.

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SkidrowVet@reddit

Lonesome Dove and all of the McMurtry selections

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MmeLaRue@reddit

McMurtry’s style just floored me. Just shove it into a vial and jam it into my veins, please.

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Adrestia716@reddit

Locked Tomb Series is hilarious

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Quirky-Jackfruit-270@reddit

The Last Cultivator (3 book series)

by Jonathan Vault (Author) , Patricia Jones (Author)

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backatmybsagain@reddit

Wheel of time!!!!

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KennyGaming@reddit

Finally here we have a good discussion question

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Whangarei_anarcho@reddit

I always stop by the library chuck out trolley and scoop up what ever looks interesting - history, crime, sci-fi etc.

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Witch-King_of_Ligma@reddit

All of Tolkien’s works

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susanrez@reddit

I don’t think I’d give up bunker space for the Samarillion. The rest I agree with.

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Mother_Winter_7650@reddit

Robert Jordan the eye of the world Series

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cottonfd@reddit

Guessing you mean Wheel of Time series?

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LadyVimes@reddit

The Discworld series

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ErinRedWolf@reddit

Definitely NOT dreary post-apocalyptic stuff. I want escapism if I’m living through a hellscape. I’d pick a bunch of my favorite authors, books I’ve read and loved and others I have yet to enjoy. I’d also pick short story anthologies. My go-tos tend to be sci-fi, fantasy, speculative fiction. I’d want something hopeful.

A few favorite authors: Becky Chambers, Martha Wells, Ursula Vernon AKA T. Kingfisher, Peter Beagle, Madeleine L’Engle, James S. A. Corey… there are more but I don’t have time to write a novel. I’m finding new favorites all the time.

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archangel7134@reddit

The entire Jack Ryan series Byron Clancy.

The Reacher Series

The Spencer series

The Mitch Rabb series

Basically, anything in that vein.

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DrizztSkywalker@reddit

Legend of Drizzt. 25th anniversary editions

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Illustrious_Bowl7653@reddit

The complete works of Shakespeare

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TyrKiyote@reddit

49 copies of Frankenstein.

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Krustyazzhell@reddit

Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy and anarchist cookbook

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ElricofMelninone716@reddit

H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, August Derleth, Robert Bloch, Henry Kuttner, Frank Belknap Long, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert W. Chambers, Mark Twain, Michael Moorcock, Dante Alighieri, Daniel Defoe, William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Jim Butcher, Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Max Brooks.

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Pabst_Malone@reddit

Everything from Tim Dorsey and Patrick Smith.

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BluWorter@reddit

I'd have to recommend most anything Warhammer. Way better universe than Star Wars. Pretty dark and violent. Ton of content and excellent series.

https://www.blacklibrary.com/

Good site for a bunch of other things if you are into e-readers.

https://annas-archive.org/

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Miklay83@reddit

Books that are in a series so I can escape to their familiar world, I would want to keep it light considering the circumstances (Comedy, fantasy, litrpg, etc). I would also want several short story antholigies for quick dopamine hits.

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Feisty-Anteater661@reddit

The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson. Massively entertaining and covers a lot of territory (both temporal and physical)

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canuckistani_lad@reddit

A collection of myths or fables.

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Cold-Call-8374@reddit

Lord of the rings et al

Kushiel's Legacy series by Jacqueline Carey

Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix

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GodLuminous@reddit

Sparrow Rock (Nate Kenyon)
Uglies (Scott Westerfeld)
Runner (Carl Deuker and William C. Dietz)
World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde (Christie Golden)
Repossessed (A.M. Jenkins)
Thieves of Blood (Tim Waggoner; I highly suggest reading all 3 books)
Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)
Halo: The Fall of Reach (Eric Nylund)

Plenty more I could recommend, but these are some in my "Top" list of fiction books.

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shotgunwizard@reddit

Book of the New Sun, Book of the Long Sun, Book of the Short Sun

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Jaicobb@reddit

Anything by Ernest Hemingway or Jack London. I don't read much fiction, but these fellas are good company.

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chocolatechipwizard@reddit

"Time Enough For Love" by Robert Heinlein

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SLC-Originals@reddit

Hatchet

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Chance_Contract1291@reddit

Steinbeck is usually a good choice.

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2workigo@reddit

War and Peace has been on my TBR for a few decades. I just can’t get into it. But if I had nothing better to do…

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Poulamonstre@reddit

Read it in 2014 during bus rides to and from work. And I would say that I read it at just the right age. I was 22 and still thought of history in terms of "Great Men"™. It was great to follow that with Asimov's Foundation.

All that to say: seize the opportunity and start reading today even if only 30min each session. You'll get through and you may come out of it transformed to some extent.

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TaintedTruffle@reddit

All the Harry Potter

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Far-Significance2481@reddit

I like mainstream fiction, so something like Outlander/Crossstich would be my pick.

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Main_Ad_5147@reddit

I would recommend anything by Tom Robbins. Especially "Still life with woodpecker". It's just good fun.

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Puzzleheaded-Dog1872@reddit

Anything by Grady Hendrix! Love his horror stories

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Zementhead@reddit

The Bible

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The_Latverian@reddit

That's some pretty goofy fiction 😄

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rnochick@reddit

The Stand

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turtleandmoss@reddit

I'd bring GoT. And then challenge myself to finish the series. (Not even a jab, those open threads would also keep me occupied till the end of time.)

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JordanUnbroken@reddit

Along with classics, I’d also bring books of poetry and some romance/erotica novels.

For the simple reason that my brain needs variety. I can’t always focus on something intellectual or long winded.

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AfterSomewhere@reddit

Lonesome Dove.

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Remarkable-Finish-88@reddit

Robert silverberg, Valentine's Castle/majipoor Chronicles. Douglas Adams, tolkien. Wheel of time.

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Derfel60@reddit

I love historical fiction so Bernard Cornwell, Simon Scarrow, Conn Iggulden, Brian Jacques too. I also like Clive Cussler. Sentimental books from my childhood like Life with Daktari, Enid Blyton, Harry Potter books, Philip Pullman and The Chronicles of Narnia. Classics i think should remain around for posterity like White Fang, Austen, Dickens, Twain, RL Stephenson, Lord of the Flies, LOTR, Holes, Robinson Crusoe, The Swiss Family Robinson. Probably loads more im forgetting too.

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awfulcrowded117@reddit

Kindle black and white with thousands of titles, hundreds of hours of battery life, and a solar charger

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EarlGreyHikingBaker@reddit

If it’s for entertainment then make sure they’re Entertaining! You want books that are fun and let you have some good escapism.

Though not Fiction I love me some arctic survival stories especially from the age of exploration (Fridtjof Nansen, Ronald Amundsen, etc) which are engaging AND have some real world survival tips. Others: 438 Days, Eight Feet in the Himalayas.

Then there’s just fun like Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

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After-Ad-4103@reddit

Bible

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PinkPetalsSnow@reddit

Walden. Gives me a lot of pause to think...

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JayCuttyDUI@reddit

The Road by Cormac Mccarthy

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8Deer-JaguarClaw@reddit

"Dune" would definitely be a top pic for me. And also "Slaughter-House Five". Probably "The Good Earth" too.

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Grendle1972@reddit

Sci-fi and Favre books as well as classic fiction. Tom Sayer, Huck Finn, Swiss Family Robinson Robinson Curosie, Count of Monte Cristo. Some LitRPG, most of Baen books and TOR publishing catalogs, a well as tons of these books in both hard copy as well as digital format. A couple of chapters read at night out loud could be a morale booster, esp if there weren't any movies or TV shows available (although I have a couple of hard drives full of movies, TV show, and music downloaded).

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