Book recommendations

WEEZIE918

I'm glad there are so many others that love to read.  I'd love to hear what some of your favorite books are and maybe a little about them.

maglinpa

My favorite books are the Alex Cross series or the Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson.  I really like the way he writes.  I am normally a really slow reader and I feel as if I read his books quickly.

I also like Janet Evonovich the Stephanie Plum series.  They take place in Trenton New Jersey and they are hysterical, light, and entertaining.  There are about 15 of them.  She is a former lingerie buyer for a department store who lost her job and has become a bounty hunter.  My Mom and I used to plan out who would play the charaters if they ever made these books into a mvie or tv series.

Since I was in graduate school, I kind of got out of the habit of reading.  So, I have a lot of books to catch up on.  My Mom and Dad could open up a branch of the Library of Congress they have so many books.  Before her stroke my mom would read about 3 books a day.  She would always have good recommendations.

memSomerville

I just went over to my bookcase to look at what my favorite books are--I mean the ones that changed the way I think about some topic, or really transported me to some other reality. And all I could think of was: how will this work with a kindle???

I haven't made the transition to the kindle yet, but I expect to. I think that probably I'll still buy some keepers that I want to own, but some of the stuff you just go through--or get from the library--I can do by kindle (or whatever e-reader tech, kindle is just the easiest name to come up with...)

Anyway, my favorite all-time books are (in the order I read them; titles are links):
The Mists of Avalon. I loved Arthurian stories, and this one was told from the women's perspective--which I had never seen. I was in high school at the time, a proto-feminist. But it also changed they way I thought about how we view history, and whose side we hear....ya know?

Sarum. This is the story of a British town over time. And I mean over the whole span of human time, practically. From the earliest settlers, through different time points, with historical context--and decently researched history. But it followed family threads when it could too. I just loved the way it time traveled a single location--where the location was key, but the humans were different, yet similar...

The First American. A biography of Ben Franklin. I ♥ Ben, who I have always thought was an amazing brainiac and a personal charmer. That's a rare combination. Anyway, I thought Brand did a great job on this bringing Ben to life for me.

Anyone have thoughts on the kindle transition too? Did you do it? Do you like it?

^#$^%#$%#$ Knot software....edited for broken link, and to see if they changed my name again....sigh...

WEEZIE918

I like all kinds of books.  I love the Alex Cross books and I love Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series, but I must admit I am VERY behind on both of them (stupid school!!).  I also enjoyed reading Michael Crichton and Dan Brown. I have read 2 of jodi Picoult and enjoyed both of them.  I have read a few books by Nicholas Sparks and enjoyed them too.  I am usually reading a book for my bookclub and a book of my own picking.  Currently I'm supposed to be reading something called 29 for bookclub.  It's about a old woman who, on her 75th b-day, wishes to be 29 again for 1 day.  Wish is granted, but that's all I know about it because I haven't started reading it yet.  I am also reading The Secret Life of Bees.  I'm only in chapter 1, so not sure how it is yet.

I think my favorite book from book club has been Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.  LOVED that book.  It's about 2 women who have been friends since they were young.  Everyone in bookclub loved it.  Some of my other favorites are the Book Thief, The Hunger Game series, although book 2 was kinda boring; Sweeney Todd was really good.  It's nothing like the movie.  My mom hated the movie, but enjoyed the book.  My favorite classics are The Iliad and the Odyssey, Pride and Prejudice, and East of Eden.  Oh, I could go on forever!!!

WEEZIE918

Mem - as far as a Kindle...I love my kindle.  And don't laugh...but I have the first generation Kindle and still love it!!  Evenutally I'll probably upgrade, but really no point until I have to.  Like Lucy said it's great cause you can take it anywhere.  And you can have a few of them on the same account so you can share books (I have my niece and my mom's devices on my account).

But I also LOVE looking at my bookcases!!!  So I do what you mentioned.  The books I love I will buy the physical book, like my favorite authors of whom I already have all their books.  The other books I'm just reading (especially the random book
choices from bookclub) I ust get on Kindle.

maglinpa

I am still o,d school with the hard cover book.  Joined Literary Guild when I graduated from college and still order a book or two every now and then.  When I traveled for work and was gone for three or four weeks at a time and in a foreign country a kindle sure would have come in handy.  Especially when you know you will finish the current book on the 10 hour plane ride and need to make a decsion about what other book you want to bring to read next.

My least favorite book lately, well besides Essentials of Treasury Management (very dry, little to no character development, and very little plot), was The Davinci Code.  I know "gasp".  I actually liked the book until the end and then it just pissed me off so I don't like it.  The details and the intricate stroy line was so captivating.  However,  I feel like someone told him to wrap it up it was going to press, he typed up three sentences where she found her mother and bam THE END.  My humble opinion.

WEEZIE918

I read the DaVinci code, but liked Angels and Demons better.  I also read his other books and enjoyed them. 

Mem - I put Sarum on my list of "want to read".  I want to say I read something else of his, but I can't remember for sure.  I'll have to check my bookcase at home.

memSomerville

I read Da Vinci Code too (and Angels & Demons--also preferred), and I liked it. Incredible pace. And agree on the fall off the cliff at the end. There was so much peripheral drama about it from various places. But I accepted it for what it was.... a novel.  I didn't expect 100% accurate history, or find it to be an assault on the Catholic Church....yatta yatta yatta.

right1thistime

Late to respond, but you all have very similar book taste to me.  I love Patricia Cornwell, Kathy Reichs (and while I love Bones-- she is NOT the Tempe Brennan we learned to love in the books!), and  Patterson's Alex Cross, Women's Murder and Michael Bennett series (hard to call them his, he has a co-author in most of them now.  He's more like an industry than an author)
You haven't mentioned Iris Johansen - if you like the above authors you will LOVE her Eve Duncan series.  Eve is a forensic sculptor whose young daughter is kidnapped and killed.  I normally HATE kids in peril, but these I can handle.  Her latest book, titled EVE, literally made me gasp at the end.
I also like Tess Geritson, the new show Rizzoli and Isles is based on her series with the same characters. 
I like Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series also - they are a FAST read, I can whip through one of those in a couple of hours.
I agree with you about Dan Brown's books.  He weaves an elaborate web of mystery, then the ending gets tied up so easily in a perfect little bow.  A parachute made extemporaneously?  And he doesn't die?  Come on.  Reichs and Cornwell do a little of that, too.
Can't read Picoult (see kids in peril comment above).
Someone recommended Alex Kava to me.  STarted a series of his and it just got too gruesome.  I obviously don't mind gore, but the images really bothered me.

Love my kindle, but there is something satisfying about closing a book that you've finished, and putting it on the shelf with all the others.  I wish Kindle had a loan a book feature like the Nook.  ~Donna

Hays2be

I must be the odd ball here.  My favorite author is Stephen King and favorite book is "The Stand"  I reread it every couple of years, and just loaded it to my Nook to read on the balcony of our cruise.

I also read Patterson, Koontz, Gerritson, Creighton, and lots others already mentioned.  I've read all of Dan Brown's books, A&D was my favorite--I read it in two sittings. 

No one has mentioned romance.  I'm not ashamed to admit I love a good bodice-ripper--good way to wind down before bedtime.  Rachel Gibson writes a fast-paced modern romance, usually with some sort of sports involvement.

Non fiction sneaks in there too.  I still have a copy of "And the Band Played On" that I wrote a book report for college 20 years ago.