Please recommend very engrossing novels.

[dreams]

Welcome to MR, cearbhallain and thank you for jumping in with a suggestion. The Decameron is available right here in the MR Library.

Originally Posted by BookCat

One of my cats died recently so I'm trying to "hide" in books.
<snip>
Public Domain and Creative Commons preferred cos the cat, bless her, cost a fortune in vets bills and I'm broke.

BookCat, I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. I, also, will lose myself in books when something difficult happens. I find that less complicated and slightly different books are easier to move into and out of when my concentration wanders easily.

Historical novels and romances with a twist ...
Sentence of Marriage by Shayne Parkinson mentioned by lene.

Also, Black Silk by Jan Gordon

For something fun and different..

I can second the recommendation by Billjr13 for Boomerang By Alan Hutcheson (you probably have this on your Reader)and Living History by Ben Essex

Also, His Robot Girlfriend by Wesley Allison

Young adult stories .. Whirl of the Wheel By Catherine Condie and Tales of the Ragoon, Sam's Winnings plus Tales of the Ragoon, Kate's Movie Star by Stan Morris.

You can also click on the links in my signature to see the feedbooks list of MR Authors and the Thread on MR with A List of MobileRead (MR) Authors. You can spend time clicking the links to check out their books until you find something that looks interesting.

[MelC]

Someone already suggested Gabaldon's Outlander series which is historical and quite well liked by many. Judith McNaught writes some historical romance type books as I recall which are a cut above Mills & Boon I think but definitely romance oriented if that is more your bent rather than history per se. However, the book of the month (actually of last month) is Gone with the Wind which has both history and romance and is wonderfully written and captivating. Definitely recommend this one. Along the same lines I have heard many recommendations of North and South if you decide you want to take the Civil War period further. Another easy, readable and never ending historical series based on American history is John Jakes Kent Family Chronicles series starting with The Bastard. I remember liking it when I was younger although I don't recall ever getting past book three or four.

Mel

[Penforhire]

I can recommend Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth" as meeting your criteria. And if you like it there is World Without End as a sequel.

[hallali]

Sorry to hear about your loss. I never had a cat on my own, but i know animals are family members.

I don`t know if it fits your tase but I liked the regency novels by Joan Wolf a lot ( The Arrangement, The Deception). Easy to read, well written and nice characters. Also the Bridgerton Series from Julia Quinn is to be recommended, though it is well known and you might have read them already.

[BookCat]

Thank you for the recommendations. They'll be great to escape into. And thanks also for all the good wishes.

[plumboz]

Bookcat,

I am so sorry to hear about your loss. When my Brittany Spaniel Zillie died I had a pretty rough time too.

Wish I could offer a recommendation in the historical romance genre, but other than Jane Austen, I don't have much experience in those. The book I retreated into when Zillie passed away was The Once and Future King.

Best,
Alan

[mediax]

They're not free, but Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion and The System of The World) should meet your criteria pretty well.

[worktolive]

So sorry for your loss. You said you were looking for free or cheap books and unfortunately, many of those mentioned so far are not either. However, if you are looking for free romance, I'd recommend The Black Moth by Georgette Heyer and The Scarlet Pimpernel (and sequels) by Baroness Orczy. Both of these are available on most of the public domain websites. I usually use manybooks.net.

Georgette Heyer basically invented the modern Regency romance genre. The Black Moth is her first Regency. It's enjoyable although not her best, but it has just this year passed into public domain so it is free.

The Scarlet Pimpernel is a fantastic light romance/spy caper that was written in the early 1900's so it also is in the public domain.

[Xanthe]

These are all series that I re-read on a regular basis:

Catherine Asaro's "Primary Inversion" - first book in the Saga of the Skolian Empire series: http://www.webscription.net/p-811-pr...inversion.aspx

In an unusually masterful first novel, physicist Asaro combines hard speculative science and first-rate storytelling to look at the galaxy's distant future. Earth's peaceful Alliance shares power with two other empires, those of the Skolians and the Traders, who are mortal enemies of each other. Heir apparent to oversee the Skolian empire, Sauscony Valdoria is a bioengineered fighter pilot who has inherited rare psychic abilities that link her to the powerful "psiberspace" Skolian Web. Taking shore leave on a neutral planet, Sauscony encounters Jaibriol, an heir to the throne of the sadistic Trader Empire. During a fortuitous melding of minds, Sauscony not only recognizes Jaibriol as her psychic soul mate but realizes her new love has been bred specifically to give Traders the power to vanquish the Skolian empire. Asaro innovatively blends computer technology and telepathy into the electrifying, action-rich drama she creates. This is one of the best sf first novels in years, a likely candidate for the genre's major awards.

Eric Flint's "1632" - First in the "Ring of Fire" series:
http://www.baen.com/library/

In the year 1632 in northern Germany a reasonable person might conclude that things couldn't get much worse. There was no food. Disease was rampant. For over a decade religious war had ravaged the land and the people. Catholic and Protestant armies marched and countermarched across the northern plains, laying waste the cities and slaughtering everywhere. In many rural areas population plummeted toward zero. Only the aristocrats remained relatively unscathed; for the peasants, death was a mercy.

2000 Things are going OK in Grantville, West Virginia. The mines are working, the buck are plentiful (it's deer season) and everybody attending the wedding of Mike Stearn's sister (including the entire membership of the local chapter of the United Mine Workers of America, which Mike leads) is having a good time.

THEN, EVERYTHING CHANGED....

When the dust settles, Mike leads a small group of armed miners to find out what's going on. Out past the edge of town Grantville's asphalt road is cut, as with a sword. On the other side, a scene out of Hell; a man nailed to a farmhouse door, his wife and daughter Iying screaming in muck at the center of a ring of attentive men in steel vests. Faced with this, Mike and his friends don't have to ask who to shoot.

At that moment Freedom and Justice, American style, are introduced to the middle of The Thirty Years War.

David Weber's "On Basilisk Station" - first book in his Honor Harrington series
http://www.webscription.net/p-304-on...k-station.aspx

Having made him look a fool, she's been exiled to Basilisk Station in disgrace and set up for ruin by a superior who hates her.

Her demoralized crew blames her for their ship's humiliating posting to an out-of-the-way picket station.

The aborigines of the system's only habitable planet are smoking homicide-inducing hallucinogens.

Parliament isn't sure it wants to keep the place; the major local industry is smuggling; the merchant cartels want her head; the star-conquering, so-called "Republic" of Haven is Up To Something; and Honor Harrington has a single, over-age light cruiser with an armament that doesn't work to police the entire star system.

But the people out to get her have made one mistake. They've made her mad.

David Weber & John Ringo's "March Upcountry" - first in the Prince Roger series:
http://www.webscription.net/p-267-march-upcountry.aspx

Roger Ramius Sergei Chiang MacClintock didn't understand.

He was young, handsome, athletic, an excellent dresser, and third in line for the Throne of Man ... so why wouldn't anyone at Court trust him

Why wouldn't even his own mother, the Empress, explain why they didn't trust him Or why the very mention of his father's name was forbidden at Court Or why his mother had decided to pack him off to a backwater planet aboard what was little more than a tramp freighter to represent her at a local political event better suited to a third assistant undersecretary of state

It probably wasn't too surprising that someone in his position should react by becoming spoiled, self-centered, and petulant. After all, what else did he have to do with his life

But that was before a saboteur tried to blow up his transport. Then warships of the Empire of Man's worst rivals shot the crippled vessel out of space. Then Roger found himself shipwrecked on the planet Marduk, whose jungles were full of damnbeasts, killerpillars, carnivorous plants, torrential rain, and barbarian hordes with really bad dispositions. Now all Roger has to do is hike halfway around the entire planet, then capture a spaceport from the Bad Guys, somehow commandeer a starship, and then go home to Mother for explanations.

Fortunately, Roger has an ace in the hole: Bravo Company of Bronze Battalion of The Empress� Own Regiment. If anyone can get him off Marduk alive, it's the Bronze Barbarians.

Assuming that Prince Roger manages to grow up before he gets all of them killed.

Holly Lisle's "Sympathy For The Devil" - first in her Devil's Point series:
http://www.webscription.net/p-407-sy...the-devil.aspx

Dayne Kuttner, a registered nurse tortured by the suffering of her patients and the much greater suffering of those damned to eternal suffering in hell, challenges God by demanding that the damned get a shot at redemption. . . and God proves he has a sense of humor by answering her prayer literally -- setting 56,000 devils, demons and assorted lesser Hellbound loose in North Carolina in the process to seek their salvation or wreak havoc.

[J.L. Penn]

So sorry to hear about your grief.

Not sure whether you like chick lit or not (it is good light reading though), but if you do, I recommend Emily Giffin's Something Borrowed. I was hooked from the very beginning and could not put it down. It's one of the best in the genre IMO.

Hope you find some comfort in some good stories!
-Jenn
Reunion
The Cinderella Curse

[morriss003]

In the historical romance genre, I would recommend the books of Amanda Quick, aka Jayne Ann Krentz. A great fantasy series is the Merlin series by Mary Stewart (The Crystal Cave). 1632 and On Baselisk Station have been recommended and I concur. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a great book. The Marcus Didius Falco books by Lindsey Davis are wonderful historical mystery novels. Pamela Morisi has written several romantic historical novels that will leave you with a feeling of intense satisfaction.

[TC Beacham]

So sorry BookCat

I recommend THE HELP by Kathryn Stockett - maybe you could get it from the library.

TC

[cearbhallain]

Originally Posted by morriss003

In the historical romance genre, I would recommend the books of Amanda Quick, aka Jayne Ann Krentz. A great fantasy series is the Merlin series by Mary Stewart (The Crystal Cave). 1632 and On Baselisk Station have been recommended and I concur. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a great book. The Marcus Didius Falco books by Lindsey Davis are wonderful historical mystery novels. Pamela Morisi has written several romantic historical novels that will leave you with a feeling of intense satisfaction.

Just butting in to note that 1632 is available for free at the Baen site. I've downloaded it, but not read it yet so I don't know how good it is - but it sure does get mentioned alot.

[BookCat]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I'm reading a Wodehouse at the mo, but I'm getting through books at an amazing rate! Reading is so comforting.
Strangely my two remaining "permanent" cats have become very loving; they are ex-feral; it's nice to be able to fuss them. The rescues are mostly unhandleable, but slowly changing. They'll be up for homing soon.
Any more suggestions? Thank you for all the good wishes.

[6charlong]

It's hard losing a pet.

I don't have experience with romance but Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is always a good read. It's here on MR:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12123

It's historical in as much as it is a "coming of age" story written about life on the Mississippi 150 years ago. It's mostly light reading.