I haven't read a good book in a long, long time...

[Chicklet]

So, I want everyone to put in suggestions.

My favorite authors are Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Jude Deveraux, Johanna Lindsey, and Orson Scott Card. Oh and I like the Red Dwarf books, and Douglas Adams...so, anything along those lines?

Oh and I read this book called "Drowning Ruth" by Christina Schwarz that my mom convinced me was good by nagging me for about a week to read...and it wasn't...so, I'm going to maybe mostly stay away from Oprah's books.

-Chicklet

 

[Guest]

Hi Chicklet,

Fellow Horror and humorous Sci-Fi fan here. I love read Red Dwarf and Hitch-hiker's. I am also a fan of Stephen King, I don't rate Dean Koontz as highly, but there are many other horror authors that are equally as good, if not better, out there.

My favourite author is Richard Laymon. He's an American author, but was huge in the UK, before his untimely death in 2001. Leisure have recently started to release his books in the US, titles well worth a read are: 'The Travelling Vampire Show' 'Among The Missing' 'Bite' 'Island' 'Savage'. His writing is fast paced, witty and can be very shocking. His great strength is characterization. He creates real, believable characters, and his emphasis does tend to be on having strong female characters.

Other authors in a similar vein are Graham Masterton, 'The House That Jack Built' is a good one to start with. James Herbert is also great, he wrote The Rats trilogy. Another great author that I recently found is Simon Clark, he wrote a brilliant book called 'Blood Crazy' If you loved King's 'The Stand' you will also love this.
Another author that I recently read is Edward Lee, his horror borders on the erotic horror, and you have to have quite a strong stomach to enjoy some of his books.

An author worth a try, if Douglas Adams is your thing, is Terry Prachett. I haven't read many of his books, but he is very witty and intelligent.

I hope this helps!

Katie

 

[Chicklet]

Thanks Katie = )

I've read Terry Prachett, but like you not very much of him. I should revisit disc world I think (That's what it was called, right?) As for the other authors, thanks so much for the tips - I've never heard of any of them! Will have to add them to my collection.

-Chicklet

 

[MathGirl]

An author worth a try, if Douglas Adams is your thing, is Terry Prachett. I haven't read many of his books, but he is very witty and intelligent.

I second that. Pratchett is my favorite. Ask Svenska. I got her onto reading him.
MG

 

[SexySoBeChick]

I've never been one to read Sci-fi books, but I have read a lot of Stephen King and Anne Rice. Anne Rice's vampire chronicles begins with Interview with a Vampire and her witches series begins with The Witching Hour. Also there's Thomas Harris's Hannibal Lecter series—in order— Red Dragon, The Silence of the Lambs, and Hannibal. Fair warning though, Hannibal doesn't end the same way it does in the movie.

In a completely different genre, I like Jennifer Crusie, who writes great romantic capers that are hilarious, sexy, and smart without being cheesy or sappy. Welcome to Temptation is particularly good. And there's Suzanne Brockmann, who writes romantic suspense novels mostly featuring Navy SEALs. The first of one series is The Unsung Hero.

SSBC

 

[Chicklet]

Yeah I've read Ann Rice's vampire books, and I have also read Harris's books...I didn't like Hannibal at all but I loved Red Dragon.

 

[destinie21]

I like Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series
it includes the followng titles:

The Last Precinct
Black Notice
Point of Origin
Unnatural Exposure
Cause of Death
From Potter's Field
The Body Farm
Cruel and Unusual
All That Remains
Body of Evidence
Postmortem



She also has another series featuring a character by the name of Andy Brazil it's titles are

Isle of Dogs
Southern Cross
Hornet's Nest

Although I read all of these books I didn't really care for the series. The writing (style) is markedly different and I didn't feel that the characters were as well developed in this series.

edited to add the above



I also enjoy Sydney Sheldon

the following are titles that I've read (I'm not sure if there are more books written by him)

The Sky Is Falling
Tell Me Your Dreams
Master of the Game
Morning, Noon and Night
The Best Laid Plans
If Tomorrow Comes
Nothing Lasts Forever
The Other Side of Midnight
The Stars Shine Down
Rage of Angels
Memories of Midnight
Bloodline
A Stranger in the Mirror
The Naked Face
The Doomsday Conspiracy
The Sands of Time
Windmills of the Gods


My favorite were Bloodline, Rage of Angels, Memories of Midnight, The Other Side of Midnight , The Naked face, and The Best laid plans.


Another author I like Olivia Goldsmith

The First Wives Club
Flavor of the Month
Fashionably Late
Simple Isn't Easy
The Bestseller
Marrying Mom
Switcheroo
Bad Boy
Pen Pals

I absolutely loved Flavor of the Month, and Pen pals. I was reading The Best seller and I somehow lost it but I'll be getting a new copy. (Goldsmith's writing style is similar to Jackie Collins. Although not as raunchy so if you like Jackie Collins you may also like Goldsmith)


Jackie Collins
ANOTHER FAVORITE OF MINE TITLEA INCLUDE:

THE WORLD IS FULL OF MARRIED MEN
THE STUD
SUNDAY SIMMONS AND CHARLIE BRICK, 1971 (published under the title The Hollywood Zoo in 1975)
LOVEHEAD (1974 )(retitled The Love Killers, 1989)
THE WORLD IS FULL OF DIVORCED WOMEN
LOVERS AND GAMBLERS
THE BITCH (Sequel to the stud)
CHANCES
HOLLYWOOD WIVES
SINNERS
LUCKY
HOLLYWOOD HUSBANDS
ROCK STAR
LADY BOSS,
THE SINNERS
AMERICAN STAR,
HOLLYWOOD KIDS
VENDETTA
THRILL
POWER -----------------------
OBSESSION series
MURDER
REVENGE----------------------
DANGEROUS KISS,
LETHAL SEDUCTION
HOLLYWOOD WIVES: THE NEXT GENERATION
DEADLY EMBRACE


once again the above are only titles I've read so there may be more Jackie Collins books out there. I enjoyed all of them especially those featuring Lucky Santangelo (Chances,Lucky, Lady Boss, Vendetta:Lucky's Revenge and Dangerous Kiss.) Also another thing I like about Collins is that her characters transfer from one book to another though the books might not actually be a series.

http://www.click-smilie.de/sammlung/musik/music-smiley-026.gif

 

[Svenskaflicka]

Have you tried Elizabeth George's detective novels? I think they're great.

And listen to MG's advice about TP. I did, and I'm crazy about the ones with the witches. Right now, I'm half-way through Carpe Jugulum, which I thought was to be translated into "grab the tits" or something, but it turns out that it's actually "go for the throat", which makes a little more sense than my translation, since it's about vampires.

 

[Chicklet]

wow Destinie thank you!

 

[SlaveMasterUK]

I third for Terry Pratchett - one of my all-time favourite authors. His Discworld series can be broken into smaller sub-series, each with a different appeal.

There's the Witches stories, following three earthy old hags who roam hilly countryside being judgmental and self-righteous, and will probably remind you of some old ladies you know.

There's the Wizards (my personal faves) - argumentative, greedy and never quite sure how they managed to put everything right in the end - but that doesn't matter to them because, as they'd say, Everyone Thinks We Did It And Who Are We To Argue.

The Guards are responsible for running the Watch, the patrols and law enforcement of Ankh-Morpork, the Disc's greatest city. And they get up to so many adventures while dealing with the criminal underworld of their homeland that they get a whole load of stories to themselves.

And then there's the rest. Death, being arguably the most important character on the disc (as well as possibly the thinnest), plays a major role in some of the other stories, along with a whole host of other characters who Pratchett manages to bring to life with vibrant colour and reality (except Death, who is neither colourful, nor Real, in the absolute sense of the world).

I'd also recommend Against a Dark Background by Iain M. Banks - refreshingly different from his other sci-fi works and much more easy-going than page after page of tight-beam transcript found in his Culture novels (readers of Excession will know what I mean...) Or if you fancy something a little less dark, Inversions is a very good romantic adventure with a good twist ending.

ax

 

[English Lady]

Count me as another vote for Pratchett! Also in the same kind of vein as him and Douglas Addams is an author called Tom Holt. His writing is hilariously funny and kind of off the wall!

If you fancy something more in the fantasy sort of vein try David Gemmell,he is great at blood and guts romance stories. I know it sounds like a weird mix but he pulls it off. He has the best flawed hero's....they are never too good to be true!

Piers Anthony is also one of my favourite authors, again its fantasy genre. I particularly enjoy his Xanth books...very humerous and good easy reading. Hubby prefers the Mode series which is a bit more nitty gritty.


Oh and JV Jones! I've only just discovered her but she is the most emmotive writer! The bakers boy series is great, the first one being called "the baker's boy" funnily enough!

 

[MathGirl]

Dear SMUK,
You summed up Pratchett's novels very nicely. As does Svenska, I like the witches best. The wizards are good, too. They're so ........ wizardly. My favorite character of all, though, is Carrot Ironfoundersson, the 6'6" redheaded dwarf.
MG

 

[English Lady]

Carrott is great! Gotta love death though and Susan. I reckon my mother is related to Granny Weatherwax you know...


(apologies to all those who know nothing of the discworld)

 

[Svenskaflicka]

My favorite character of all, though, is Carrot Ironfoundersson, the 6'6" redheaded dwarf.

...who, the last time I read about him, was happily porking a female werewolf, only to scream and grab his sword when he woke up in the morning to find a big she-wolf in his bed.

I bet they did it doggystyle.

 

[SlaveMasterUK]

I bet they did it doggystyle.

there - in the corner - did you see those ears? It moved pretty darned quick, but I think it could have been a plot bunny...

ax

 

[TheEarl]

Count me as another vote for Pratchett! Also in the same kind of vein as him and Douglas Addams is an author called Tom Holt. His writing is hilariously funny and kind of off the wall!

I will second the vote for Tom Holt. He has a very similar sense of humour to Adams. Try reading 'Expecting Someone Taller.'

If you're really interested in weird English humour, then you could do worse than reading Robert Rankin. He has the world's strangest sense of humour and you're probably best off starting with a nice one like 'The Brentford Chainstore Massacre.'

My favourtie author is Christopher Brookmyre. He write superb satirical/adventure books. The best one is 'A Big Boy Did It And Ran Away.'

Hope that helps.

The Earl

 

[Guest]

Earl, I love "weird English humour", but I get my fill here on the AH, haha. Don't know what I'd do if I read a whole book of it. Among you, Gauche, and Gabe Lee I get so confused. I don't include Pops, I get him perfectly.

Pear

 

[Sabledrake]

What Katie said about Richard Laymon. I only discovered his work a while ago but it immediately blew me away and catapulted him to the top of my must-read list. He's got a way of just ripping you right out of any sort of comfort zone. Dark, gritty, in-your-face sex and violence. Brilliant stuff!

My horror faves:

Stephen King -- started with The Shining when I was ten, the rest of the family was sure it'd warp my brain; they were right but I've loved every minute of it.

Dean Koontz -- his middle-career stuff in particular, around the era of "Strangers" and "Lightning;" lately he's gotten very uplifting/showoffy/preachy.

John Saul -- yeah, he tells basically the same story over and over in 2/3 of his books, but I read them anyway.

Robert McCammon -- fantastic stuff, best vampire book I ever read was "They Thirst," his "Swan Song" is great, his new one, "Speaks the Nightbird," is absolutely incredible.

Bentley Little -- not very character-driven, with basically the 'same-guy' protagonist, but his looks at modern life in "The Store" (about an evil Wal-Mart type business taking over small towns) and "The Association" (gated communities and their rules gone really bad) in particular are really wonderfully creepy.

My tastes run toward horror, thrillers, and mysteries. Other authors I enjoy include:
Steve Alten
Clive Cussler
James Patterson
Johnathan Kellerman
J.A. Jance
John Sandford
Janet Evanovich
Gary Brandner
Sharyn McCrumb

Whoops, must go read to the kid ... we're more than halfway through Order of the Phoenix!

Sabledrake

 

[CWatson]

OSC - Well, aside from the obvious Ender stuff, he's also got this really fun standalone tale called Enchantment; it's a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty tale. None of the wild philosophical arguments; it's just a straightforward, very fun story enlivened by Card's usual imagination and brilliant dialogue.

Stephen King - Dark Tower. 'nuff said. The Matrix? Screw The Matrix. We got yer gunfights right here.

Terry Pratchett - The only thing I've read of his is Small Gods, and I didn't particularly like it, but it's a lot like Kevin Smith's Dogma in its own way: a funny and almost unbearably truthful look at the way religion works today. And cynical or not, it reminds you that there ARE people who know the message and don't let the church get in the way. Ah, well; as the bumper sticker goes, "Lord, save me from your followers!"

A recommendation for someone who just doesn't get enough props: Margaret Weis. Sure, she works for a gaming company, and sure, she turns out a book every three months, but if you managed to put her Death Gate Cycle against Tolkein in a battle to the death, I'd bet on Death Gate. She may not have invented any new languages, but her imagination and vision is easily the equal of Tolkein's, and she actually knows how to WRITE. Start with Dragon Wing. You'll find yourself unable to stop.

Lastly, one recommendation that I think everyone ends up liking: this basically unknown author named Stephen Chbosky and his basically unknown book called The Perks Of Being A Wallflower. Don't be fooled by the fact that it's published by MTV--this is Catcher In The Rye, except that the main character doesn't wear you out with his cynicism. It's much more palatable for those of us who like to retain a little optimism. The back praise-quotes also compare it to A Separate Peace, but I've never read that, so I wouldn't know.

 

[Dirt Man]

If you're into dragons, and fantasy...

You might want to read Dragoon, by Dunkin. You can buy his book online at www.booksurge.com


As Always
I Am the
Dirt Man

 

[Weird Harold]

Oh and JV Jones! I've only just discovered her but she is the most emmotive writer! The bakers boy series is great, the first one being called "the baker's boy" funnily enough!

Actually, that's The Book Of Words Trilogy, and there is antoher series(?) set in the same universe that begins with A cavern of Black Ice although I haven't seen anything more in the sequel series. (The Books of Words is Baker's Boy, A man Betrayed, and Master and Fool)

If you like humrous fantasy, check out the MYTH series by Robert Lynn Asprin -- it begins with Another Fine Myth and has a new volume just out in paperback after a long break.

A SF (Space Opera) series you might like is Lois McMaster Bujold's Mile Vorkosigan Saga -- Beginning with The Warriors Apprentice through the latest volume Diplomatic Immunity

Elizabeth Anne Scarborough include a lot of humor in her fantasies; I especially like the "Hearthwitch" series that begins with Song of Sorcery

If you like humourous short fantasy, the Chicks in Chainmail series edited by Esther Friesner is very good. Esther Friesner has also written several humorous fantasies of her own, although sadly they're probably out of print and no longer available.

 

[English Lady]

you're right weird harold...I read the series a while back and my memory isn't so good. I am getting round to reading "the cavern of black ice" and that is a three book series as well..as i have all three books somewhere in the house*L*

 

[Chicklet]

so, updates...

I went to the store and bought Angels and Demons by Dan Brown - anyone know if this is good? I looked at the Terry Pratchett books, MG, but I don't know which one is first ? Should I read them in order or no?

I'll definitely be going back to the bookstore soon.

I considered "Enchantment" by Orson Scott Card but I couldn't find a used copy! ACH.

-Chicklet

 

[Chicklet]

If you like humrous fantasy, check out the MYTH series by Robert Lynn Asprin -- it begins with Another Fine Myth and has a new volume just out in paperback after a long break.

actually, I've read that series...what's the new one?

 

[English Lady]

Personally I'd say DONT read the Pratchett's in order,the first ones aren't that good and every story is a story on it's own.

My personal favourite is Mort and this is the first discworld book I read.