Book recommendations.

[Riles]

Got anything you've read recently or an old favourite you'd suggest reading? I don't want anything too heavy, I need it for nights when I am sitting with clients, so it has to keep me engaged and not falling asleep. I'm asking you all cause I like the cross section of people here, rather than just picking random books off of review sites.

 

[Bert Notorius]

they're really handy for raising up monitors.

 

[Riles]

they're really handy for raising up monitors.

I have a lap top and legs. I'm good to go.

 

[Lancecastor]

The Hitchiker's Guide (Douglas Adams) is a pretty good read.

The big anthology with all 4 books in one volume can be had at most bookstores cheap.

It's a standby at the lake.

Any of Elmore Leonard's books are also a good read if you like crime novels with interesting characters.

Piers Anthony's stuff is good sci-fi.

....as is any anthology of Philip K Dick's short stories.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

IBERIA by James Michener

Its the only book by Michener I like. Non-fiction.

Its a blend of memoir and Spanish culture/history digressions. Fascinating material.

Easy to pick up and put aside.

I wouldn't part with my copy.

But 1000 pages.

 

[Riles]

The Hitchiker's Guide (Douglas Adams) is a pretty good read.

The big anthology with all 4 books in one volume can be had at most bookstores cheap.

It's a standby at the lake.

Any of Elmore Leonard's books are also a good read if you like crime novels with interesting characters.

Piers Anthony's stuff is good sci-fi.

....as is any anthology of Philip K Dick's short stories.

Out of each of those I am most likely to start with your second option - it has the right feel for what I need during these shifts. Is there a personal fav you would suggest to start with?

Thanks.

 

[Amberchgo]

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.


An amazing story about the human spirit.

 

[Lancecastor]

Out of each of those I am most likely to start with your second option - it has the right feel for what I need during these shifts. Is there a personal fav you would suggest to start with?

Thanks.

Most people have seen the Travolta movie "Get Shorty" based on the Leonard book of the same name..."Maximum Bob" was also made into a movie, as was "Killshot" and a few others.

But they're all good and are often in the cheapy bins at Chapters...I have a half dozen at the cottage for rainy days.

see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmore_Leonard

 

[Balladeer08]

Carl Hiassen writes mysteries based in Florida, with a truly marvelous collection of oddball characters. At times he is I-just-coughed-my-donut-out-through-my-nose funny.

 

[Balladeer08]

Most people have seen the Travolta movie "Get Shorty" based on the Leonard book of the same name..."Maximum Bob" was also made into a movie, as was "Killshot" and a few others.

But they're all good and are often in the cheapy bins at Chapters...I have a half dozen at the cottage for rainy days.

see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmore_Leonard

"Fire in the Hole" was the basis for the TV show "Justified".

 

[Laurel]

Off the top of my head:

Craig Clevenger writes some cool stuff. This one's about an ingenious identity thief:
The Contortionist's Handbook

This one's about suspense-thriller about a chemist who invents an amazing drug and becomes wrapped up in a huge web of criminals, cops, and the unreal:
Dermaphoria

Dunno if you read Chuck Palahniuk. If you haven't, this dark comedy about a spoiled teen's reign in hell is a fun introduction:
Doomed

This is a really enjoyable offbeat mystery/suspense/thriller/romance with a supernatural edge:
The Raw Shark Texts: A Novel

I really loved this very funny action-adventure novel by one of the guys from Cracked:
John Dies at the End

This is a fun read for anyone into food, travel, or exploration:
Hoosh: Roast Penguin, Scurvy Day, and Other Stories of Antarctic Cuisine (At Table)

For belly laughs, anything by David Sedaris is awesome, but I really like this collection of his short stories:
Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls

 

[lovecraft68]

If you like fantasy there is a five book series by David Eddings called the Belgariad.

The reading is easy and the books not too complicated or dark, but a lot of action and compelling characters and humor, a fun read.

Pawn of Prophecy
Queen of Sorcery
Magician's Gambit
Castle of Wizadry
Enchanter's End Game.

 

[Riles]

IBERIA by James Michener

Its the only book by Michener I like. Non-fiction.

Its a blend of memoir and Spanish culture/history digressions. Fascinating material.

Easy to pick up and put aside.

I wouldn't part with my copy.

But 1000 pages.

I tried to type this 4 times and I kept getting dropped offline. Grrrr!

So I did look at this. Wow! It might be a little beyond what I'm looking for with these shifts, but I am always willing to branch out.

Thank you.

 

[Riles]

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.


An amazing story about the human spirit.

Hmmm. I have thumbed this in the store because I read Seabiscuit. Maybe I will thumb it again later today. I have nothing on the agenda and I'm thinking a chai tea and an hour at Chapters is how to spend my afternoon.

 

[Riles]

Most people have seen the Travolta movie "Get Shorty" based on the Leonard book of the same name..."Maximum Bob" was also made into a movie, as was "Killshot" and a few others.

But they're all good and are often in the cheapy bins at Chapters...I have a half dozen at the cottage for rainy days.

see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmore_Leonard

groan

I didn't really like that movie.

But I'm more of a reader than viewer, so I will check this out. It's making the list to look at.

 

[Riles]

Carl Hiassen writes mysteries based in Florida, with a truly marvelous collection of oddball characters. At times he is I-just-coughed-my-donut-out-through-my-nose funny.

Perfect!

I will leave the donuts at the store. Can't wake the client with my choking.

 

[Riles]

Off the top of my head:

Craig Clevenger writes some cool stuff. This one's about an ingenious identity thief:
The Contortionist's Handbook

This one's about suspense-thriller about a chemist who invents an amazing drug and becomes wrapped up in a huge web of criminals, cops, and the unreal:
Dermaphoria

Dunno if you read Chuck Palahniuk. If you haven't, this dark comedy about a spoiled teen's reign in hell is a fun introduction:
Doomed

This is a really enjoyable offbeat mystery/suspense/thriller/romance with a supernatural edge:
The Raw Shark Texts: A Novel

I really loved this very funny action-adventure novel by one of the guys from Cracked:
John Dies at the End

This is a fun read for anyone into food, travel, or exploration:
Hoosh: Roast Penguin, Scurvy Day, and Other Stories of Antarctic Cuisine (At Table)

For belly laughs, anything by David Sedaris is awesome, but I really like this collection of his short stories:
Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls

Awesome! Thank you.

 

[oggbashan]

Just plain weird: Rosa by Maurice Pons

 

[jomcb57]

I have recently been reading books by Dan Brown. Just got another from the library.

 

[Noor]

Servants, A Downstairs History of Britain from the Nineteenth Century to Modern Times by Lucy Lethbridge
This is a very interesting book that among other things illustrates how the WWI, modern conveniences and even the design of housing affected
the changing social order.

I have just started Russian Roulette, How British Spies Thwarted Lenin's Plot for Global Revolution but it seems quite interesting.

I also read a lot of mysteries, cookbooks and books on clothing and dress if you are interested in any of them. I am usually in the midst of several books which I read depending on my mood or interest at that moment.

 

[Sinny]

If you appreciate freakish oddities, then get Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. It has the swirling mysticism of Isabel Allende's House of the Spirits combined with the hauntingly bizarre character development of Katherine Dunn's Geek Love.

If you have not yet delved into David Sedaris (I saw Laurel's rec), I highly recommend reading his books in the order in which they were released because his writing style shifted and spun so fucking cool after he started writing more regularly for The New Yorker.

I call Sarah Vowell and Augusten Burroughs the companion authors of David Sedaris. Read him first, then read them. Assasination Vacation will be the best American history book you ever will read.

 

[oggbashan]

If you haven't already read them, Ursula K Le Guin's Earthsea books are entertaining:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthsea

 

[Sinny]

If you haven't already read them, Ursula K Le Guin's Earthsea books are entertaining:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthsea

Fantastic rec.

 

[pointless]

....as is any anthology of Philip K Dick's short stories.

i reread a scanner darkly again recently. still great even though the ending kinda blows ass. you know, still.

 

[bluebell]

I call Sarah Vowell and Augusten Burroughs the companion authors of David Sedaris. Read him first, then read them. Assasination Vacation will be the best American history book you ever will read.

So good.
Have you read Augusten's book about his dad? It was very disturbing. Excellent, but disturbing.

I've read Dry and Sellevision about 4,000 times apiece.