Recommendations Can you recommend one fiction title that sticks out in your mind after reading it many years ago?

[NeverSayNether]

Hmmm I’m seeing a lot of manga and light novel types (which makes sense, it’s scribblehub) so I’m going to recommend a PHYSICAL book that I can pick up and read IN REAL LIFE.

Freak the Mighty is the story of dumb, slow, stupid, good for nothing Max who’s been told he’s weird and scary all his life. Then he meets weird smart kid with a little body. I like how the back of the book elevator pitches it: “Together Mac and Freak were unstoppable. Together they were Frwak the Mighty.

its… hard to describe how I feel about this book — I don’t even remember how it got on my shelf it’s just been there ever since first grade me decided to take inventory. What I do know is that stories like this — stories about hard emotions and misfits who won’t ever be normal — I’m glad little kid me grew up reading literature like this.

It’s not a long read — the back cover has a little “RL15 rated 11 and up”. Go try it! If you can’t find the physical version then it’s probably a pdf downloadable from somewhere.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Only one? No, I cannot.
Several that impacted my life? Yeah, that I can do, starting with:

• Robert Heinlein's The Star Beast - my first real exposure (unless you count the American version of the Speed Racer cartoon) to science fiction.
• Ghosts and More Ghosts, an anthology of horror and supernatural stories edited by "Robert Arthur" (the name also attached as author to, IIRC, the first twelve of the Three Investigators novels ... including the first few which had the "full" series title of Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators and each featured a scene approved by the great director himself, where he meets with the titular heroes briefly, and listed as 'Creator' on the indica of the entire series) and with that name on all the stories BUT ... the name was owned by the publisher, used both by a father, his son and any new authors they wanted to give a shot but didn't think their names would sell stuff. The first full-length book I read on my own.
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. (Douglas Adams)
• The Colour of Magic. (Sir Terry Pratchett)s
• The Hobbit (John Ronald Reuel Tolkien)
• The Shadow Over Innsmouth and Other Stories by H. P. Lovecraft. (Howard Phillips Lovecraft)
• The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Clive Staples Lewis (also The Magician's Nephew and Out of the Silent Planet by the same author)
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Alice's Adventures Through the Looking Glass and What She Found There by Charles Lutwidge Dodson (aka Lewis Carroll)

 

[Wenlock]

Tomodachi game. I didn’t even finish the whole series lol.

I did and it was absolutely fabulous.
Mine would also be hunter x hunter. Others are:
Vinland Saga
Code Geass
Baccano
Devilman
Death Parade
Hellsing Ultimate
Link Click
Monster
Paranoia Agent
Steins Gate

These are some fictions that mold my work

Welcome to the NHK.
It has its absolutely disgusting moments, but in its entirety I would not hesitate to call it a masterpiece. Essentially it is about the toll of a hikikimori lifestyle, depression, and surviving the pains of life. I haven’t read the novel the manga and anime were based on, but the other two are of quite good quality. Although I prefer the anime, also the OST is amazing.

I was in high school at the time and was the definition of a hermit for a few months, the show saved my life. I was, and do still, suffer from a gnawing anxiety when not in my room/house. Like a nest of termites a healthy piece of perception eventually becomes withered.

Granted I still have quite awhile to go to end my hermit ways, but at that point I did not see it as an issue. I have, while trying to fix it, damaged my quality of life quite abit, destroyed my the opportunities I was working for, and withered away practically all in person relationships outside of my family. If I hadn’t been trying to improve I have no idea what depth of hell I would be living in.

I was both disgusted and invested in that series

 

[Nevafrost]

I did and it was absolutely fabulous.

I don’t even remember why I dropped it. Gonna rewatch if it's worth watching tho.

 

[Wenlock]

I don’t even remember why I dropped it. Gonna rewatch if it's worth watching tho.

Yeah I even read the manga cuz the anime stopped early

 

[Wamba2K]

This one might be a bit ancient, but it's my comfort read.
Lonesome Dove.

 

[Fairemont]

Otherland by Tad Williams.

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, also by Tad Williams.

Abarat by Clive Barker.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

This one might be a bit ancient, but it's my comfort read.
Lonesome Dove.

The first "Western" I ever read. Quite a different experience from the (excellent) mini-series (though definitely closely related). Beautiful novel.

 

[Juia_Darkcrest]

Yeah, it is hard to single out one...I have over 1,000 novels in my Google Play Books, which I've purchased over the years, plus I had about that many soft and hard covers before that, which got water-damaged in a flood.

I will go with one that is really good, yet I don't think I have ever heard anyone ever talk about

Naomi Novik - Temeraire Series

Basically, it's an alt-history fantasy novel during the Napoleonic wars, but with the added element of dragons!

You follow the captain of an english ship who's crew captured an dragon egg on a french ship. The dragon hatchs and imprints on the captain, turning the naval officers life upside down.

Bunch of books, battles, political intrigue, world travel, the works

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Yeah, it is hard to single out one...I have over 1,000 novels in my Google Play Books, which I've purchased over the years, plus I had about that many soft and hard covers before that, which got water-damaged in a flood.

I will go with one that is really good, yet I don't think I have ever heard anyone ever talk about

Naomi Novik - Temeraire Series
by

Bunch of books, battles, political intrigue, world travel, the works

That sounds cool.
Actually, if you're into alt-history, there are a few kind of cool ones I've seen.

• Napoleon Disentimed (by Hayford Pierce) - a modern man who resembles him is somehow swapped through time to replace Napoleon Bonaparte (and, among other things, invents the flush toilet).
• The Adventures of Conrad Stargard - a series of books by Leo Frantkowski about an engineer who gets drunk, stumbles into a time machine and wakes up in the 1240s in Poland, starting with The Cross-time Engineer. I've read the original five (C-T E plus The High-Tech Knight, The Radiant Warrior, The Flying Warlord and Lord Conrad's Lady); have not read the one he self-published after a falling out with Baen (Lord Conrad's Crusade) and only just now found out about the final book, published after Frantkowski's death and with a co-author, Conrad's Last Campaign.
• And not EXACTLY Alt History, but an excellent time-travel story that creates its own, internal alternate history, The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers (In fact I have not read anything bad by him yet - On Stranger Tides, The Drawing of the Dark, Last Call).

 

[CanOfTuna]

Annals of veight. Well, because the first word haha

 

[TinaMigarlo]

"the Man Who Paid His Way". Old time crime novel. maybe 50s.

my first old time novel. Update the cars and everything, it would have fit right in as a crime novel modern day. The world doesn't change, just the people in it.

the more modern example, is "a Bullet for Cinderella". Its a MacDOnald novel, though before his acclaimed TravisMcGee series. Author was highly influential and inspired a whole host of next generation authors who all based their famous MC off of McGee. Clive cussler, Patterson, guy who wrote the Parker series, Spenser for hire series author... all claimed him as the reason they got into writing. If he was good enough fopr a lot of my favorite authors growing up, to the point they took from him and admit it... its good enough for lowly me. You wanna write a novel length pulp crime paperback, that's how its done.
now as a big reader until 30 or so, I need to have an oddball IO bet no one ever heard of either the book or the author, yet it was commercially successful.

"Taking Liberty" by Lawrence Dunning (maybe Laurence Dunning)
WIkipedia has an entry on that one.
it would make a great movie.
good bad guy, big plot with international themes. Big conspiracy. race for hidden treasure, terrorism, the whole nine yards.

 

[Tsuru]

I've read hundreds of fictions from various genres, from SoL, romcom, isekai, wholesome fantasy, shounen, seinen, shoujo, josei, to dark and bloody ones like gore and dark fantasy.

But only a few remain in my memory. Some I remember the title. Some I remember the character names. Some I remember the narrative inconsistencies. However, only one remains the most memorable:

Spoiler: My memorable fiction

Kimi no Uso (Your Lie in April) - this is a young to adult romance story that really hits the conscience.

Kaori's letter to Arima Kousei left me breathless for 3 days after watching the ending and left an impression years later until now.

This is not a romance story, this is a life story that teaches the beauty of simplicity, meaning, and fragile like spring. Kaori is truly a beautiful cherry blossom that fades quickly.

Respect to the author who dared to give a meaningful ending even though it suffocates the readers.

Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

Kousei Arima is a child prodigy known as the "Human Metronome" for playing the piano with precision and perfection. Guided by a strict mother and rigorous training, Kousei dominates every competition he enters, earning the admiration of his musical peers and praise from audiences. When his...

myanimelist.net

History strongest husband.

A "what if" story. What if an author wrote a MC that is still barely clinging to sanity, unlike Fang Yuang (Reverend Insanity famous novel) that directly goes bat crazy murder madman.
Or basically a CN version of [The greatest Estate Developer] but 200% cooler and badass.


PS : Also its the first CN that had MC use nukes.

 

[Louhi]

I've read hundreds of fictions from various genres, from SoL, romcom, isekai, wholesome fantasy, shounen, seinen, shoujo, josei, to dark and bloody ones like gore and dark fantasy.

But only a few remain in my memory. Some I remember the title. Some I remember the character names. Some I remember the narrative inconsistencies. However, only one remains the most memorable:

Spoiler: My memorable fiction

Kimi no Uso (Your Lie in April) - this is a young to adult romance story that really hits the conscience.

Kaori's letter to Arima Kousei left me breathless for 3 days after watching the ending and left an impression years later until now.

This is not a romance story, this is a life story that teaches the beauty of simplicity, meaning, and fragile like spring. Kaori is truly a beautiful cherry blossom that fades quickly.

Respect to the author who dared to give a meaningful ending even though it suffocates the readers.

Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

Kousei Arima is a child prodigy known as the "Human Metronome" for playing the piano with precision and perfection. Guided by a strict mother and rigorous training, Kousei dominates every competition he enters, earning the admiration of his musical peers and praise from audiences. When his...

myanimelist.net

The Way of the Househusband.

PS : Also its the first CN that had MC use nukes.

Nukes are awesome. I like it when someone want to write send nudes but autocorrect turned it into nukes.

 

[Tsuru]

List of what did MC in HistoryStrongestHusband

-Nuking
-Poisoning
-Poisoned someone with truth serum
-Bombing with nano-bombs the veins of someone
-Raping a princess (strange that it wasnt censored or banned novel) (dont worry, she deserved it, well not really but like bitch lvl of villain, like shield hero princess)
-Pushing (bad) people in shit pit
-Eunuching villains
-Nuke some more
-Made villains puke blood
-Was raped by the badass Heroine-3 with red hair. (said heroine have same looks and personality like the Queen of GreatestEstateDevelopper)(he is weak and she is strong+aphrodisiac)(MC near died from that)
-Eunuching some more villains
-Made villains experience despair so badly, that numerous times he was called by them as : You are too poisonous !
-Can guess 3-4 steps of all villains
-Reconciliation with 2 charismatic villains
-Near died by self-sacrifice (just like the cold heart moment in GreatestEstateDeveloper) by self-injecting a dose of a plague to delay enemy (negociation table=everyone is then infected by close proximity/hiding the antidote from them) so his family can escape. Delirium lvl of near-death.


All this bs.
Simply because mc's goal : have a family.
Ironically simple.
(just like GreatestEstatedev's mc simply want a peacefully life)

 

[8128]

For me these three are memorable: "The Wandering Inn", "Infinite Mana in the Apocalypse" and "My Vampire System" I read them around 2019, 2020.

Reading them felt like tapping into a chaotic creative storm, today works are more tightly structured with a more formulaic narrative. I'm not saying those three were 10/10 stories in comparison. They were rough around the edges, especially for today's standards of quality. It took reading between the lines, ignoring the flaws and layering over your imagination to get through it with unbroken immersion. People who are not used to reading more raw writing might be put off by that.

What made those stories memorable for me was how the authors weren't afraid to try new things and experiment. Sometimes that was, a side quest that took 20 pages, a system introduced out of nowhere, or a skill/ability/information that perfectly solves whatever issue, or seemingly irrelevant chapters where the MC suddenly explores some skill/system/part of the world... etc. And I cannot imagine even entertaining that idea in a story today, I would probably stop reading if that was frequent. Basically in a story today that would mean something in the algorithm failed, since people would downvote it, people would complain that the MC just did something that has zero bearing on the narrative.
Thats exactly what makes a story memorable to me, these more organic stories full of "randomness", making them feel unique and "alive". It's that feeling which is hard to "capture", these niche works of passion that even if no one read, the author would still be writing. That's where the magic was for me. Of course there is rose colored classes and nostalgia there, cannot avoid that, however not as much as I would think looking back. The online landscape has changed in general of course, not only with this.
I just liked stumbling over this random story someone is passionate about, with 500+, 1000+, 1500+ chapters, where you just know something personal is fuelling it. I liked them because I knew they werent written for me at all. I can take them as they are, the author doesnt care. These stories felt like witnessing an author's quiet personal journey. That's what art is all about for me after all.

edit: I know these are not physical copies of books like you wanted. I couldnt resist writing this from the title alone. Since a physical book memorable to me is quite boring, Daniel Dafoe's Robinson Crusoe. The OG LitRPG if you ask me (I mostly read that genre overall) So I figured I'd mention why some works are more memorable than others instead

 

[Dawnathon]

Analogue: A Hate Story

Having seen enough love stories, I wondered what a "hate story" would be. I think it did a good job answering that question.

Spoiler

There's very few things that can be as despair inducing as realizing you have no place in the world, you can't escape the community that despises you, and those same people are willing to rip apart as slowly as possible until you fit in the mould they decided for you. It wasn't even the world *Hyun-ae was born in, but they made certain it would be the one she dies in.

 

[Tabula_Rasa]

21 century Boys
The epilogue of the manga 20th Centry boys.

In the very end, when the last minor villain was defeated, the characters asked this villain, "why? why did she still commit an act of terror? Even tho the truth was revealed, the cult learder/ big bad was a fraud, why did still refuse to accept reality? Why cant she accept that she was tricked, brainwashed, the cult was a lie?"

Her answed was the she NEEDed to keep "believing" the lies, even if she knew it was a lie, because the alternative is that she spent her whole life do atrocities not for a god or a supernatural being, but for a lie, a faud, so denial was all she got.

 

[Mellohwa]

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Famous Five series.

I always read them in my school library while waiting for my father to pick me up, and because of that, they’ve stuck in my head.