Reading has been a part of my life for a while, well before writing was. Well, writing for enjoyment anyway as my initial writing efforts were like most, the basics at school. So, my good friend 
Now, I'm no intellectual, haven't got an Einstein-ish IQ and am not a literary genius; I'm just a guy who started reading as a very young kid and loved it. I liked learning things like new words and creative ways to use them, new concepts, about our past histories, the people and the planet, and reading allowed me to do so. As I was born in 1970 I grew up without computers and the internet, pay TV and smart phones so books were my only way to sate my hunger for information. I also loved the escapism books gave me and as a kid who got picked on and vilified a lot I'd retreat to my books to escape, and transport to somewhere else where I could be anything, anyone and have adventures. Image source
Anyhow, the first book I read was the Hobbit by Tolkein followed soon after by the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and Roots by Alex Haley and initially I thought I'd recommend one of them however changed my mind and instead want to introduce a book I have read many times, along with subsequent follow-up novels, by an author called Raymond E. Feist.
Magician
Published in 1982 this fantasy-genre book represents the first in the Riftwar Saga which takes place [initially] on a world called Midkemia.
It revolves around the story of a young boy who, through interesting circumstances, finds himself apprenticed to a magician. He struggles with the concepts of magic however soon his studies are cut short as the world of Midkemia is overrun with strange alien invaders from the planet of Kelewan and that's when things get really interesting for the young boy, Pug and his buddy Thomas along with many other characters.
Things spiral outwards from there and the author delivers an epic saga of magic, heroism, love, internal conflict, pain and suffering. The characters come to life, are believable and the reader finds themselves investing heavily into their favourites.
It's incredibly well-written and the worlds of Midkemia and Kelwan are expertly crafted. There's something for everyone in the book Magician from edge of your seat battle scenes, magical concepts including an ingenious rift between the two worlds which is how the armies travel around, and a healthy dose of human nature-concepts like relationships between people and also within the characters themselves.
The author creates whole worlds including political structures, social-environments, caste-structures, business concepts and the gammut of emotions and feelings common to human beings of our own world. These are all crafted into a magnificently-written into the book and subsequent books which expand and deepen the created worlds and characters.
There are many books that weave throughout the story created by the author and some which run consecutively as some of the authors later releases are stories happening at the same time but in different locations and even times. To be honest, you'll probably need to do your own research on it and for the purpose of
Having said that though here's the three books you'll want to read to get you started.
- Magician
- Silverthorn
- A Darkness at Sethanon
That will get you started and from there you're on your own. If you are interested in reading all of the books the books in a story-chronological order, (not the order of release) follow this link to the site outlining the actual chronological order. I always read them as released though and if I needed to would simply go back and re-read one to give better context. I have read all of the Feist books multiple times. Feist books in story-chronolgical order
So, there's my book recommendation. If you decide to take the plunge and delve into the world(s) of Raymond E. Feist then I wish you the best of luck...You'll not be able to put them down. If you are not a fan of the fantasy-genre well...You've probably already tuned out.
I hate tagging people really however I'm going to tag a couple of people who may be interested in sharing one of their favourite books with the community so here goes:
Ok, so that's it. Sorry in advance to those I nominated. It's really more of a passive -suggestion that you share a book with us so don't feel compelled. 😬