Nice fiction to read aloud
October 11, 2019 9:16 PM Subscribe
My boyfriend and I are looking for a novel to read aloud together — preferably YA fantasy, but other fiction is good too. Something interesting enough to hold adults' attention, but simple and peaceful enough to read at sleepytime. More details inside.
So far we've read Eragon and Wildwood together. We've liked that the books have sprawling adventures in another world, and that they shy away from being too graphic in their depictions of violence and emotional turmoil. It also helps that they didn't try too hard to be funny.
We tried The Goblin Emperor, but gave up because the names were too hard to pronounce. (And the palace intrigue plot probably would have been too involved for reading when the listener is half asleep.)
For our next book, we'd like a similar adventuring spirit. But less of an emphasis on war and battle (Eragon and Wildwood both ended with a big clash of armies). Canadian authors are a plus.
So far we've read Eragon and Wildwood together. We've liked that the books have sprawling adventures in another world, and that they shy away from being too graphic in their depictions of violence and emotional turmoil. It also helps that they didn't try too hard to be funny.
We tried The Goblin Emperor, but gave up because the names were too hard to pronounce. (And the palace intrigue plot probably would have been too involved for reading when the listener is half asleep.)
For our next book, we'd like a similar adventuring spirit. But less of an emphasis on war and battle (Eragon and Wildwood both ended with a big clash of armies). Canadian authors are a plus.
This isn't what you're exactly looking for, but I recommend you check out Levar Burton's podcast where he reads short stories. This can be something you actually listen to together, or you can look at the works he's done and read them aloud yourselves. Since they already work well in podcast form, my guess is that many of the stories would fit your criteria of working well aloud.
posted by acidnova at 9:21 PM on October 11, 2019
posted by acidnova at 9:21 PM on October 11, 2019
The Vlad Taltos series, definitely! It's my chill palate cleansing series.
posted by brook horse at 9:35 PM on October 11, 2019
posted by brook horse at 9:35 PM on October 11, 2019
Not fantasy, but a quest narrative with some mildly fantastical elements: The Hidden Keys by Canadian author André Alexis (he wrote Fifteen Dogs, which I also recommend but there is some animal death that may be too much for your purposes). I read The Hidden Keys out loud to my partner and we both enjoyed it that way.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 9:36 PM on October 11, 2019
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 9:36 PM on October 11, 2019
I enjoy reading (and having read to me) Alice In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass from time to time. Perhaps something to cleanse the palate between epics.
For an epic, the writing of The Belgariad series is very well suited to reading out loud. The primary focus is on a small group of adventurers wandering around the map accomplishing things.
It was written in Spokane, which you'll have to admit is _very close_ to Canada. :-)
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 9:47 PM on October 11, 2019 [3 favorites]
For an epic, the writing of The Belgariad series is very well suited to reading out loud. The primary focus is on a small group of adventurers wandering around the map accomplishing things.
It was written in Spokane, which you'll have to admit is _very close_ to Canada. :-)
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 9:47 PM on October 11, 2019 [3 favorites]
Oh man, this is the only context that I will ever recommend The Hobbit. It’s so cozy, the sentence structure is pretty simplistic, and if a bit gets a little too sleepy time boring, you can skip ahead easily. It generally takes well to being read aloud in general.
Maybe also Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianna Wynn Jones. Same cozy easy to follow plot thing, no violence or sudden tone shifts, maybe too fantasy-light (not a quest) but has different settings (a swamp, a castle, a huge flower field, different towns) which are described evocatively.
By the way, I love this question. Being read to by/reading to loved ones cozily is legit the best.
posted by zinful at 9:50 PM on October 11, 2019 [6 favorites]
Maybe also Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianna Wynn Jones. Same cozy easy to follow plot thing, no violence or sudden tone shifts, maybe too fantasy-light (not a quest) but has different settings (a swamp, a castle, a huge flower field, different towns) which are described evocatively.
By the way, I love this question. Being read to by/reading to loved ones cozily is legit the best.
posted by zinful at 9:50 PM on October 11, 2019 [6 favorites]
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, maybe? Stardust by Neil Gaiman and Beauty by Robin McKinley also come to mind as possibilities.
posted by bananacabana at 9:50 PM on October 11, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by bananacabana at 9:50 PM on October 11, 2019 [4 favorites]
Also maybe DWJ's Dark Lord of Derkholm could work well here, or any of her Chrestomanci books.
posted by diffuse at 11:07 PM on October 11, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by diffuse at 11:07 PM on October 11, 2019 [3 favorites]
Ursula Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea
posted by ottereroticist at 12:35 AM on October 12, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by ottereroticist at 12:35 AM on October 12, 2019 [3 favorites]
The Chronicles of Narnia?
posted by AnOrigamiLife at 2:02 AM on October 12, 2019
posted by AnOrigamiLife at 2:02 AM on October 12, 2019
My favorite books to read aloud are:
Watership Down by Richard Adams
The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle
The Never-Ending Story and Momo by Michael Ende
posted by darchildre at 8:02 AM on October 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
Watership Down by Richard Adams
The Last Unicorn by Peter S Beagle
The Never-Ending Story and Momo by Michael Ende
posted by darchildre at 8:02 AM on October 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
Philip Pullman's La Belle Sauvage, first volume of the Book of Dust, moves along very nicely. I'm only a third of the way into it so far so can't speak to its lack of graphic grisly, but it's definitely got your sprawling otherworldly adventure angle covered.
posted by flabdablet at 8:25 AM on October 12, 2019
posted by flabdablet at 8:25 AM on October 12, 2019
For YA within a well-developed fantasy world, I really like Tamora Pierce's books - starting with the Song of the Lioness series.
and while this may be too humorous to hit the spot (it tries and succeeds in being quite funny), but I've turned my family onto the delight of the Keeper Series by Tanya Huff. She's Canadian, the books are very Canadian - the first book is all about fighting evil in Kingston while also trying to run a B&B with the help of a snarky cat.
posted by jb at 9:13 AM on October 12, 2019
and while this may be too humorous to hit the spot (it tries and succeeds in being quite funny), but I've turned my family onto the delight of the Keeper Series by Tanya Huff. She's Canadian, the books are very Canadian - the first book is all about fighting evil in Kingston while also trying to run a B&B with the help of a snarky cat.
posted by jb at 9:13 AM on October 12, 2019
My boyfriend and I do this too! We're reading the Tiffany Aching series by Terry Pratchett. Perfect bedtime reading. Plus, you get to practice your Scottish brogue from time to time.
posted by ananci at 9:38 AM on October 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by ananci at 9:38 AM on October 12, 2019 [1 favorite]
Jaclyn Moriarty's Colors of Madeleine trilogy is lovely. It's a contemporary YA alternate universe fantasy with wonderful world building and characters. I'm happy just imagining you reading it.
posted by Biblio at 1:40 PM on October 12, 2019
posted by Biblio at 1:40 PM on October 12, 2019
I think might enjoy the The Reckoners series from Brandon Sanderson. Great pacing and fun stories with a bit of humor and really bad jokes as a special bonus!
posted by nenequesadilla at 7:14 PM on October 12, 2019
posted by nenequesadilla at 7:14 PM on October 12, 2019
Clive Barker’s The Thief of Always and China Miéville’s Un Lun Dun both beg to be read aloud.
posted by Mister Moofoo at 2:06 AM on October 13, 2019
posted by Mister Moofoo at 2:06 AM on October 13, 2019
From memory:
Sabriel by Garth Nix. -- It's got a few books in the series, the first coming out in 1996 or so, and the fifth one coming out in 2016! (and they're all really good) but the first one is the most simple one, it's dark but not really graphic. The others in the series follow very similarly to the first one (although I feel they do get a little darker at times). I mean it deals with necromancy but it's done in a pretty awesome way that imo does get scary but not ridiculously so. It still is one of my favorite YA series, and one of the only ones I've kept reading into adulthood.
Darkfall by Isobelle Carmody - She is known for her Obernewtyn series which is really good, but I prefer the characters in Darkfall. I do warn you however, she hasn't completed Darkfall-- Dakbane has been in the works for over 10 years now and I dunno when she'll complete it. If that bugs you, probably best to not go ahead... read Obernewtyn instead.
There's also Tamora Pierce which I do remember liking as a kid, but in hindsight I think her books may be a little cringy maybe for adults. I remember rolling my eyes a bit at the Tortall series, and I was the target demographic at the time. I did kinda prefer the Immortal series to the Tortal series (the first being Wild Magic but YMMV.
Have you thought about the Redwall series? I never got into it myself, but from memory it was a really nice bedtime fantasy novel.
Happy reading!
posted by Dimes at 11:28 AM on October 19, 2019
Sabriel by Garth Nix. -- It's got a few books in the series, the first coming out in 1996 or so, and the fifth one coming out in 2016! (and they're all really good) but the first one is the most simple one, it's dark but not really graphic. The others in the series follow very similarly to the first one (although I feel they do get a little darker at times). I mean it deals with necromancy but it's done in a pretty awesome way that imo does get scary but not ridiculously so. It still is one of my favorite YA series, and one of the only ones I've kept reading into adulthood.
Darkfall by Isobelle Carmody - She is known for her Obernewtyn series which is really good, but I prefer the characters in Darkfall. I do warn you however, she hasn't completed Darkfall-- Dakbane has been in the works for over 10 years now and I dunno when she'll complete it. If that bugs you, probably best to not go ahead... read Obernewtyn instead.
There's also Tamora Pierce which I do remember liking as a kid, but in hindsight I think her books may be a little cringy maybe for adults. I remember rolling my eyes a bit at the Tortall series, and I was the target demographic at the time. I did kinda prefer the Immortal series to the Tortal series (the first being Wild Magic but YMMV.
Have you thought about the Redwall series? I never got into it myself, but from memory it was a really nice bedtime fantasy novel.
Happy reading!
posted by Dimes at 11:28 AM on October 19, 2019
My partner and I read Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat books, and they were perfect: LA faerie tales with a gothy witchy punk edge. Sweet but not innocent, with magic, love, and family as central themes.
posted by ottereroticist at 10:40 AM on October 22, 2019
posted by ottereroticist at 10:40 AM on October 22, 2019
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posted by jeather at 9:18 PM on October 11, 2019 [1 favorite]