Any more I depend on word of mouth and my go to authors in selecting
new reads. I’m asking for you to share books that have drawn you in, intrigued
you. Made you laugh, broke your heart, or scared the bewhozzouseits out of you.
First, I’ll recommend any book by a Not Your Usual Suspects author.
Check out our stories. I guarantee you will not be disappointed. They are
amazing, brilliant, spell binding and many are available as audio books. A big
plus for me.
Now for my other suggestions and a warning. I’ve been on a
rip and tear reading ‘different’ books. For some reason I’m totally off
contemporary romance so you won’t find any below. Nothing against it but,
shrug, just reading other stuff. Curious, do you do that?
Right now I’m enjoying how other genre authors swirl the words
on a page. Build suspense and even write a tiny bit of romance into a mainly
horror book. Yeah, I'm looking at you Stephen King.
Here we go.
I don’t remember who here suggested The Insect Farm by Stuart
Prebble last year. Thank you. I adore this book.
Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children. Ransom Riggs. A
trilogy. Sooo much fun.
Stephen Kings Bill Hodges trilogy. The third book comes out
June 7. Can’t wait.
King’s 11.22.63. Honestly I think this is one of the best
books ever.
Try Jonathan Maberry’s books. He builds bizarre worlds
(zombie terrorists and such) and pulls you right into them.
The Martian by Andy Weir. The movie is fantastic but barely
more than a synopsis of the book.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Different.
Very different. In some places I wish he’d taken Elmore Leonard’s advice about
leaving out the parts readers tend to skip. LOL! Lots of description. But a spellbinding story.
If you are of Irish descent you may love this book. I did. The
Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero by
Timothy Eagan. The story of Thomas
Meagher who led a failed uprising against British rule, for which he was
banished to a Tasmanian prison colony. He escaped and six months later was
heralded in the streets of New York at the dawn of the great Irish immigration
to America. He was a Civil War hero and friend of Lincoln.
I’ve been rereading Neil Gaiman’s books. Love his voice.
I can go on and on, but I’m going to end with Diana Gabaldon’s
Outlander series. It has so very much. Timeless love. 18th century
history from Scotland, to France, (men in kilts and tight silk breeches. O. My)
to the colonies. There is time travel, court intrigue, dirty bat rasturds,
witches, pirates and their ships, Indians, bears and a cast of characters you
will not forget.
I’m looking for new reads. Can you surprise me with new, to me, authors? Hit me with your reading list.
12 comments:
You've got some great reads listed there. Recently I picked up a few Judith McNaught books from the 1990s and am enjoying the one I've started with, Perfect. Although it's so different from what we write today in the world of romance since it's written with omniscient POV. That type of narration was jarring at first, but I like it now. I'd definitely recommend it.
Thanks Wynter. I feel one reason I'm enjoying these books is the different voice and POV.
Some good suggestions - some of which I've read and some of which I'll have to put on my reading list. One of the things I've been doing is the "Around the World in 80 Books" challenge where you read books set in 80 different countries. It's been a great way to try books I wouldn't normally read. I've been keeping track of the ones I've read on our blog if you want to check it out for some ideas. http://thecynicalsailor.blogspot.com/2016/03/around-world-in-80-books-update-6.html
Wow Ellen that is a challenge. Thanks for sharing.
On my nightstand is "Here is Where" by Andrew Carroll. It's a fantastic look at little nuggets of forgotten history. The author traveled to these locations to research his tidbits, and each story is only a few pages long, so it's perfect for before bed. I'm learning so much!
For a trip I'm about to go on, a friend recommended I read "The Witness" by Nora Roberts, since my friend read the story I'm about to release and felt my RS has the same vibe. I'm eager to dive into that one.
I have Stephen King's 11.22.63 on my Kindle (and have for a couple years now). I got distracted by work last time I tried to read it, then forgot to pick it up again. Must try it sometime this summer! And I remember someone suggesting The Insect Farm. Must give that a try, too. :)
Anne,I'll look at Here is Where.Thanks. I've been enjoying shorter stories also. 11.22.63 is a commitment for sure.
Rita, thanks for the topical blog. I haven't found anything really good to read in a while, and I think it's directly linked to being burned out by work. I'll take a look at all the suggestions here and refill my well. :-)
Ahh... Marcelle, sorry about the burnout. I will say I'm really enjoying the short stories. The long books like Outlander and 11.22.63 I have to go the audio book route. I simply cannot sit still that long. And reading outside my normal genre gives me a boost.
Rita, here's one that's not new, but I have fallen in love all over again with Pat Conroy. His South Of Broad is a masterpiece. Just finished Beach Music--yeah, it's overblown, melodramatic and episodic. Also each episode (well, maybe not the one about the Great Dog) is ALIVE. A writer's writer. So sorry he passed away and there will be no more emotional outpourings presented in sublime (usually) prose.
On the more prosaic side, I'm currently read Dead At Night by a local writer, Randy Wayne White. (And, ahem, a fellow finalist in the Florida Book Awards) The protag is a marine biologist and White's knowledge of marine biology, added to the suspense, makes for a worthwhile read.
Thanks Jean for the oldie but goodie reminder. Good luck on the Florida Book Award. :-)
Right now I'm reading Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson written while he was living in England. He's just written a second The Road to Little Dribbling.. He makes me laugh and who doesn't need a laugh? On my TBR list the girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, The Vacationers by Emma Straub and if I can find the book The Life and Times of Moss Hart by Steven Bach. Have several pages of TBR--so many books I want to read.
The Insect Farm - it was me who recommended it and I love, love, love it. :)
Like Elise, I'm a huge fan of Bill Bryson. Love his writing and he never fails to raise a laugh.
I've got 11.22.63 on my TBR pile but am currently watching the TV version (so lazy). Really enjoying that, but will read the book later.
I really enjoyed The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.
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