Your book recommendations

We can all put book recommendations (or otherwise) here
Please let others know what you have read recently and what you thought.

So, my holiday reads (I’m going to cheat and put the Amazon link to the description of the books, with added personal comments from me)

Narrow Dog to Carcassone
Link to Amazon description This book was in the ‘library’ at the holiday apartment. I had heard of it before and been recommended to read it. I loved the very dry, very English, writing style, the story/adventure told, the French link and the star of the book - Jim the Whippet.

Guernica
Link
Set in the Spanish Civil War and WW2 and in Basque Spain (which we passed through, hence my interest). It has been compared to Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and there are similarities, though I think Bolling’s style is a little easier than de Bernieres’. There are some tough passages, as you would expect, the loss of characters one had grown fond of, and maybe a little too much ‘saccharine’. However, it was a reasonable read and kept me hooked till the end

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Link
I loved this one (how could you not love a book with a title like that?). Based on Guernsey during the Nazi occupation it is a charming and cleverly written book, with a story told totally in ‘letters’ - there is no narrative or conversation.

The Overlook
Link
I hadn’t come across this author before, though he is obviously a well known and well regarded crime author. This story is not thought to be his best but I enjoyed it - it’s fast moving (the whole book only covers a few days) and the characters seem plausible. There is a story twist which completely fooled me, though maybe I would have expected it had I known Connely’s work.

The Unbearable Lightness of Scones

Link
I’m not sure about this one. Liked the Edinburgh-ness, and enjoyed some of the eccentric characters and situations but I’m not sure that the whole thing hung together terribly well. I may read it again to make my mind up about it and see if I will look at the other 44 Scotland Street novels.

Angels and Demons
Link
Mr DM says Don’t Go There - Life’s too short! He did get to the end but spent most of his reading time snorting in derision. The book is left in the apartment, so I won’t get the opportunity to waste any of my time on it. I didn’t mind The Da Vinci Code, as a holiday read, but apparently the follow up has no merit at all; no lieterary merit and a totally ludicrous story.

1 Like

I enjoy anything by Jodi Picoult (even before My Sisters Keeper :lol:) John Grisham and Tori Hayden.
I notice that lately Jodi Picoults books are all subtitled “What Would You Do?” which gives you some idea of the dilemmas and moral decisions to be made.
John Grisham keeps me enthralled from beginning to end.
Tori Hayden is real life. Tori is a special needs teacher in America and her books all focus on particular cases. They have a good mix of humour and sadness.
I have just been lent a book by Mary Higgins Clark which I am really enjoying and I have a feeling I will be looking out for more!

I like Jodi Picoult also, and both Mary Higgins Clark and her daughter Carol Higgins Clark. Currently reading The Doomsday Key, James Rollins; the latest in his Sigma Force thrillers. Any sci-fi/fantasy fans here?

Oh dear…
you wouldn`t like the books I read-
Terry Pratchett Diskworld series
a flat world on the back of an inter-stellar turtle

Jim Butcher`s Dresden Files series
Wizard for hire in Chicago

The Jacquot books by Martin O`Brien
French police series

Felix Castor series by Mike Carey
an exorcist for hire in a London where the dead fight back!

the best one Ive read lately is A Madness of Angels by Kate Griffin. A sequel is coming out soo, and Im really looking forward to it.

Oh yes I would, Claire, just found Terry Pratchett and love him …hard to find copies at the library here; apparently he’s more popular in the UK.

I bought 9 Wheel of Time books recently so I am working my way through those. I like any detective fiction as well. Anne McCaffrey is great.

rune

I’m a huge Anne McCaffrey fan! Have you read any of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover series? Love them!

I’ve just finished ‘Sea of Poppies’ by Amitav Ghosh.
I probably wouldn’t have chosen it myself, but was given a copy by a friend. However I certainly enjoyed it and I’ll definitely read the second book in the trilogy as soon as it’s published. In it a rich variety of characters are drawn together, shortly before the Opium Wars, by their passage on the Ibis. Each character has his or her own story to add to this fasinating tale…

Another book I came across recently and enjoyed a lot is ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Pie Society’ by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.
It’s the only book written by M.A.S. and was completed with the help of her niece due to her illness. It’s a delightful mixture of the serious and the light hearted. Its written in the form of a series of letters and revolves around the German occupation of Guernsey.

That sounds interesting, Jan, will see if the library has it!

Anything by:
Stephen King
Richard Laymon (sadly deceased)
Dean Koontz

…and to lighten the mood, Maeve Binchy

I like King and Koontz also, and love Robin Cook! Love any medical thriller, the Andromeda Strain was one of the best I’d ever read IMO.

Love Richard Laymon too…and my fav at the moment is author Simon Scarrow…

I recently saw an amazing woman on the TV, she has written a book about her exploits.

Just a little run around the world - Rosie Swale Pope

After losing her husband to cancer she set off on her incredible journey to raise awareness of the disease, 20,000 miles, it took her 5 years to complete, and found her in many hair raising situations, a very brave lady, she is a total inspiration, and by btw she was in her 50’s!

I also enjoyed reading Endal by Allan and Sandra Parton, Allan was seriously injured in the gulf war and Endal came into his life and made his life worth living again. I was expecting the book to be just about Endal but it was quite a few chapters before he came into the story, each chapter is written alternating between how Allan saw things and the next from Sandra’s view point, it gives you an insight into how disability impacts on the person it has happened to and those around them.

My holiday read was The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood.
Set in Canada from the thirties to the seventies mainly and written by a famous Canadian writer, I have a hardback copy given me by some Canadian friends, several years ago. Having finally got around to reading it, I only wish I had started it earlier.
I was prompted to read it by having heard Margaret Atwood talking on the radio about her most recent book (which also sounds fascinating).
The Blind Assasin is a family saga; a rich powerful family; their fortunes during the war; family feudings; romantic affairs etc.
She is a very good writer

ill have to look them up. i love her books
anyone read the Bad Dog Diarys. i was rolling around laughing. 10 out of 10

Two new authors I’ve recently found and enjoy:Peter James and Ariana Franklin. The latter has a very good series about a female physician (very rare in those days) in England at the time of Henry II; she’s sort of a medieval detective/forensic specialist. If you like the Brother Cadfael books think you’ll like these. The Serpent’s Tale is the one I’m currently reading. Well written and a lot of fascinating detail about life in those days.

DM: that’s where I found that word “orgulous”!

ive just read a true story by lois pryce. called lois on the loose. she rode a 250 trials bike from the tip of alaska.to the bottom of south america .on her own.
im 1/2 way through her 2nd 1 called red tape and white knuckles. shes rinding through africa on the same bike. on her own again.
fantastic read. 100% recomend. :mrgreen:

Anyone reading the new Dan Brown? And there is a new Ruth Rendell out, Monster in the Box, an Inspector Wexford. Just put a hold on it at the library.

Good Fantasy books to try the farseer trilogy and the tawny man trilogy by robin hobb great reads keep going back to them

Susan Hill. Very like Ruth Rendell, her latest in the Inspector Serralier series is The Vows of Silence; terrific read!