recommendations

lustyd · 06-29-2010, 06:47 AM

Hi all, I'm looking for some book recommendations. I'd also be interested in any booklist sites you are aware of as I have not found any useful ones - they all seem to have lists of thousands of books where I'd prefer a list of a few great books.

I have read and enjoyed Harry Potter, The Lovelly Bones, The Time Travellers Wife, and a couple of Dan Brown books (read them all, but the first two were enough really

and Karen Rose books

Please try to refrain from commenting on the quality of Dan Brown etc. these are the books I like and would appreciate other recommendations of books that are easy to read rather than a discussion of what is a "good" book.

For what it's worth, I have read and did not like Lord of the Rings, most of the free "classics". I found these too slow and ended up bored. I'm sure they are great books but I prefer my reading to be fairly easy as I don't get to do much.

I'd prefer free but happy to pay for good books. I'd prefer ebooks but will buy paper if necessary - Time Travellers Wife was worth it, although I was very dissapointed with the author's comment about ebooks.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer
Dave

neilmarr · 06-29-2010, 08:43 AM

Good to have your company, Dave. Why not pop into the reading recommendations forums? Best wishes. Neil

lustyd · 06-29-2010, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilmarr

Good to have your company, Dave. Why not pop into the reading recommendations forums? Best wishes. Neil

Hi Neil, thanks for your response. I have looked in the forums and there's simply too much there, so I thought I'd ask for more specific recommendations. Also, most of the folks on here seem to prefer the stuff I don't really like, and don't like the stuff I do (see the Dan Brown thread for an example).
Cheers
Dave

MelC · 06-29-2010, 09:20 AM

Dave, if you scroll down you in this forum will see a full thread entitled "Books Harder to Put Down than Dan Brown". While there is certainly some Dan Brown bashing in it there are also recommendations from folks regarding books that they see as similar. There are other threads if you run a search that similarly touch on Dan Brown and suggest comparable reads. I confess to not being a Dan Brown fan myself so, on the completely fallacious basis that I am also not a James Patterson fan and he is equally popular and writes thrillers, maybe you would like him?

Mel

lustyd · 06-29-2010, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MelC

Dave, if you scroll down you in this forum will see a full thread entitled "Books Harder to Put Down than Dan Brown". While there is certainly some Dan Brown bashing in it there are also recommendations from folks regarding books that they see as similar. There are other threads if you run a search that similarly touch on Dan Brown and suggest comparable reads. I confess to not being a Dan Brown fan myself so, on the completely fallacious basis that I am also not a James Patterson fan and he is equally popular and writes thrillers, maybe you would like him?

Mel

Thanks Mel, I must confess that due to all the bashing I never finished the thread so missed the recommendations.
Cheers
Dave

Metal Mick · 06-30-2010, 07:34 AM

Hi Dave, et al,

Mathew Reilly is not a skilled writer, but he knows all there is to know about pace - his books can be very difficult to put down.

Lee Child's Jack Reacher series are very well written with simple prose, and a distinctive voice. Killing Floor is the first.

Robert Crais' earlier works are very good, and he is a wonderful storyteller, with a good use of the language.

I have not read Verne for a while, but recall his books to be quite pacy, though I note you are not a fan of classics.

I cannot recall his name, but the main character in his book is Ty Hauck, and my wife quite enjoys this writer's work.

Currently I am quite fond of Mick Herron, who has a quite literary style, but a wonderful sense of humor, though his books may best be described as "thrillers."

I hope this has helped.

Michael P

nohmi2 · 06-30-2010, 08:00 PM

The Millenuim Series by Stieg Larsson are a terrific read.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
The Girl who Played with Fire.
The Girl who Kicked a Hornets Nest.

Cheers.

lustyd · 07-01-2010, 03:08 AM

Thanks all, very much appreciated

afa · 07-01-2010, 04:06 AM

Dan Brown sucks!

Just kidding.

If you like thrillers, it's worth checking up on James Patterson, Dean Koontz, Michael Crichton, Dennis Lehane, Thomas Harris (particularly the Hannibal Lecter series), maybe John Grisham, Robin Cook...

And, of course, Stephen King. (He doesn't just write horror, you know.) Those are the ones I can think of at the moment, I'm sure there are many more good writers in the genre.

Oh, and maybe Jeffrey Archer, too.

lustyd · 07-01-2010, 05:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by afa

And, of course, Stephen King.

I've read a fair few Stephen King books and find his writing incredibly slow. Will give the others a go though as I've not tried any of them.

afa · 07-01-2010, 05:14 AM

I know what you mean. He seems to take a while to really get into the story.

I've read (and ultimately liked) The Shining and It, but both of those started very slow. It didn't really get going till after page 200, or maybe even 300 (it's a massive book, and it's been a while since I read it).

kilohertz53 · 07-01-2010, 09:04 AM

Dave, if you like fast-paced action-adventure thrillers with a formula similar to Dan Brown's, give James Rollins a try. Most of his books have been turning up as downloadable e-pubs and Adobe pdfs on public library Overdrive websites. You may have received Rollins' Excavation as one of your original freebies on your Sony PRS-505.

Sparrow · 07-01-2010, 09:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lustyd

...I'd also be interested in any booklist sites you are aware of as I have not found any useful ones - they all seem to have lists of thousands of books where I'd prefer a list of a few great books..

I think the Global Network of Dreams site is quite an interesting resource.

Marcy · 07-04-2010, 01:36 AM

Amazon.com is very useful to give you book suggestions. You don't have to buy a thing. Rate the books you like and it will give you suggestions of other books you might like based on those ratings. If you don't like some of the suggestions, give them poor ratings, and amazon will continue to fine tune your recommendations.

-Marcy

jehane · 07-05-2010, 09:23 AM

Hi Dave

I will second the recommendation for Matthew Reilly. As mentioned, his writing is a bit ordinary at times but his plotting and pacing is very good. He has a very visual way of writing, like an action movie in print. At the moment he is the only action/thriller writer that I read - I only picked up Ice Station because it was set in Antarctica. I would recommend starting with Ice Station, his second novel. His first, Contest, is a stand-alone and quite honestly not as good. I'm afraid I don't know if they are available as ebooks - mine are pbooks.

You might also like to check out Gnooks, which helps you find similar writers. There are other similar sites, but I can't recall their names right now.

http://www.gnooks.com/

Enjoy!

06-29-2010, 06:47 AM	#1
lustyd Enthusiast Posts: 40 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Sony PRS-505, PRS-350, PRS-650	recommendations Hi all, I'm looking for some book recommendations. I'd also be interested in any booklist sites you are aware of as I have not found any useful ones - they all seem to have lists of thousands of books where I'd prefer a list of a few great books. I have read and enjoyed Harry Potter, The Lovelly Bones, The Time Travellers Wife, and a couple of Dan Brown books (read them all, but the first two were enough really and Karen Rose books Please try to refrain from commenting on the quality of Dan Brown etc. these are the books I like and would appreciate other recommendations of books that are easy to read rather than a discussion of what is a "good" book. For what it's worth, I have read and did not like Lord of the Rings, most of the free "classics". I found these too slow and ended up bored. I'm sure they are great books but I prefer my reading to be fairly easy as I don't get to do much. I'd prefer free but happy to pay for good books. I'd prefer ebooks but will buy paper if necessary - Time Travellers Wife was worth it, although I was very dissapointed with the author's comment about ebooks. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer Dave

07-01-2010, 04:06 AM	#9
afa The Forgotten Posts: 1,136 Karma: 4689999 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Dubai Device: Kindle Paperwhite; Nook HD; Sony Xperia Z3 Compact	Dan Brown sucks! Just kidding. If you like thrillers, it's worth checking up on James Patterson, Dean Koontz, Michael Crichton, Dennis Lehane, Thomas Harris (particularly the Hannibal Lecter series), maybe John Grisham, Robin Cook... And, of course, Stephen King. (He doesn't just write horror, you know.) Those are the ones I can think of at the moment, I'm sure there are many more good writers in the genre. Oh, and maybe Jeffrey Archer, too. Last edited by afa; 07-01-2010 at 04:08 AM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Some of my Recommendations!!	dawn23	Reading Recommendations	6	08-13-2010 05:24 PM
Looking for recommendations	mcauliff	Which one should I buy?	10	07-23-2010 07:39 AM
RECOMMENDATIONS	nohmi2	Reading Recommendations	2	11-11-2009 12:04 AM
Need recommendations	Casse	Amazon Kindle	3	11-04-2009 10:21 AM
Your recommendations please	Falbe Publishing	Which one should I buy?	49	07-14-2008 04:46 PM

06-29-2010, 08:43 AM	#2
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,216 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Good to have your company, Dave. Why not pop into the reading recommendations forums? Best wishes. Neil

06-29-2010, 09:20 AM	#4
MelC Evangelist Posts: 410 Karma: 2081 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Toronto, Canada Device: Cybook Gen3, PRS600	Dave, if you scroll down you in this forum will see a full thread entitled "Books Harder to Put Down than Dan Brown". While there is certainly some Dan Brown bashing in it there are also recommendations from folks regarding books that they see as similar. There are other threads if you run a search that similarly touch on Dan Brown and suggest comparable reads. I confess to not being a Dan Brown fan myself so, on the completely fallacious basis that I am also not a James Patterson fan and he is equally popular and writes thrillers, maybe you would like him? Mel

06-30-2010, 07:34 AM	#6
Metal Mick Addict Posts: 253 Karma: 2383254 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: The Book, PB 302, IQ	Hi Dave, et al, Mathew Reilly is not a skilled writer, but he knows all there is to know about pace - his books can be very difficult to put down. Lee Child's Jack Reacher series are very well written with simple prose, and a distinctive voice. Killing Floor is the first. Robert Crais' earlier works are very good, and he is a wonderful storyteller, with a good use of the language. I have not read Verne for a while, but recall his books to be quite pacy, though I note you are not a fan of classics. I cannot recall his name, but the main character in his book is Ty Hauck, and my wife quite enjoys this writer's work. Currently I am quite fond of Mick Herron, who has a quite literary style, but a wonderful sense of humor, though his books may best be described as "thrillers." I hope this has helped. Michael P

06-30-2010, 08:00 PM	#7
nohmi2 Pensively observing. Posts: 1,758 Karma: 12675456 Join Date: Jun 2008 Device: Varied.	The Millenuim Series by Stieg Larsson are a terrific read. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The Girl who Played with Fire. The Girl who Kicked a Hornets Nest. Cheers.

07-01-2010, 03:08 AM	#8
lustyd Enthusiast Posts: 40 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: Sony PRS-505, PRS-350, PRS-650	Thanks all, very much appreciated

07-01-2010, 05:14 AM	#11
afa The Forgotten Posts: 1,136 Karma: 4689999 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Dubai Device: Kindle Paperwhite; Nook HD; Sony Xperia Z3 Compact	I know what you mean. He seems to take a while to really get into the story. I've read (and ultimately liked) The Shining and It, but both of those started very slow. It didn't really get going till after page 200, or maybe even 300 (it's a massive book, and it's been a while since I read it).

07-01-2010, 09:04 AM	#12
kilohertz53 Zealot Posts: 141 Karma: 671 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Harwichport, MA Device: Sony PRS-500, Sony PRS-350, Augen "The Book"	Dave, if you like fast-paced action-adventure thrillers with a formula similar to Dan Brown's, give James Rollins a try. Most of his books have been turning up as downloadable e-pubs and Adobe pdfs on public library Overdrive websites. You may have received Rollins' Excavation as one of your original freebies on your Sony PRS-505.

07-04-2010, 01:36 AM	#14
Marcy Guru Posts: 893 Karma: 950683 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kobo Libra2	Amazon.com is very useful to give you book suggestions. You don't have to buy a thing. Rate the books you like and it will give you suggestions of other books you might like based on those ratings. If you don't like some of the suggestions, give them poor ratings, and amazon will continue to fine tune your recommendations. -Marcy

07-05-2010, 09:23 AM	#15
jehane Book addict Posts: 441 Karma: 2650464 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Antarctica/Australia/Ohio Device: Sony PRS-300/T1/Asus TF101	Hi Dave I will second the recommendation for Matthew Reilly. As mentioned, his writing is a bit ordinary at times but his plotting and pacing is very good. He has a very visual way of writing, like an action movie in print. At the moment he is the only action/thriller writer that I read - I only picked up Ice Station because it was set in Antarctica. I would recommend starting with Ice Station, his second novel. His first, Contest, is a stand-alone and quite honestly not as good. I'm afraid I don't know if they are available as ebooks - mine are pbooks. You might also like to check out Gnooks, which helps you find similar writers. There are other similar sites, but I can't recall their names right now. http://www.gnooks.com/ Enjoy!

Advert

Advert