suggested books to take on a cruise

[Nanny8]

Hey everyone. Just wondering what your favourite book (s) to read on a cruise may be?

I'm bringing a kindle and like the beachy feel books. Nothing too deep as this is a trip to celebrate finishing grad school and I am a counsellor/teacher so my other life is full of academic books, research journals and therapy books so I'd like to read books that are just fun and lighthearted.

I've read Nancy Thayer, Mary Alice Monroe (my favorite), Jenny Hale, Holly Chamberlain, Barbara Delinsky and Karen Kingsbury.

Anyone have any thoughts on authors who have a similar writing style as the above that I have not yet discovered.

I appreciate your help in advance.

I'm not opposed to deeper books but would prefer the light and easy reads.

PS I am a quick reader so long books don't bother me. I can finish a novel a day no problem.

[cb at sea]

Bring what you like...even if you've read it before! I find, on a ship, that "comprehension" isn't the big thing...so much going on...you want an "easy read"..

I'm a "fast reader", too...so I tend to bring lots of real books...I'll do paperbacks, even tho I prefer hardbacks.....paperbacks are lighter..... I'm not into e-books at all....I like turning pages!

Just know what YOU like...and bring it! Know that you may not be fully immersed in your reading!

[GUT2407]

Whatever I'm currently reading.

[SuiteTraveler]

It's kind of fun to read books about cruising or about a fictional cruise. You might try "The Woman in Cabin 10" or one of these cruise ship murder mystery books:

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/18013.Cruise_Ship_Murder_Mystery

 

A true story I think is really a great read is "...And the Sea Will Tell" by Vincent Bugliosi. It all took place back in the 1970's but it is just a fascinating story with an ending that will stay with you afterwards. It's about sailing to a deserted island and a murder that took place there.

 

Then there is "The Dove" by Robin Lee Graham, about the youngest person to sail around the world solo (at the time.)

 

Some other great books:

The Girl on the Train

All the Missing Girls (couldn't put it down!)

The Leaving

Follow You Home

 

I also have to mention the Patricia Highsmith books such as:

Strangers on a Train

The Talented Mr. Ripley (and the sequels)

Edited November 21, 2016 by SuiteTraveler

[GeezerCouple]

It's kind of fun to read books about cruising or about a fictional cruise. You might try "The Woman in Cabin 10" or one of these cruise ship murder mystery books:

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/18013.Cruise_Ship_Murder_Mystery

 

A true story I think is really a great read is "...And the Sea Will Tell" by Vincent Bugliosi. It all took place back in the 1970's but it is just a fascinating story with an ending that will stay with you afterwards. It's about sailing to a deserted island and a murder that took place there.

 

Then there is "The Dove" by Robin Lee Graham, about the youngest person to sail around the world solo (at the time.)

 

Some other great books:

The Girl on the Train

All the Missing Girls (couldn't put it down!)

The Leaving

Follow You Home

 

I also have to mention the Patricia Highsmith books such as:

Strangers on a Train

The Talented Mr. Ripley (and the sequels)

 

Thanks for the cruise mystery link!

 

I've enjoyed a bunch of mysteries set in locations we'll be visiting.

I got started by reading a great series about a Police Commissioner in Venice, and it actually helped me sort of learn my way around Venice (slightly!!) before we arrived.

The hard cover books had a map inside the front cover, with notations about locations mentioned in the story.

The e-book version didn't, and I missed that a lot.

 

Then I read a couple of mystery series that took place in the south of France.

 

Just great for traveling.

 

But I'm going to dive into the cruise mysteries now - thanks again!!

[lenquixote66]

1)Codes by Gerald Maxey

 

2) Any book by Archer Mayor

 

enjoy

[57redbird]

Sarah Dessen

Patricia Wood

Sherryl Woods

 

all easy reads...

[Cruisin'Christine]

Summer Sisters by Judy Blume

[Sequim88]

If the timing it right whatever is the next "Outlander" book by Diana Gabaldon. One massive book would certainly be more than enough for several cruises. :D

[Bevv]

How about Caribbean Island Mysteries?

http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/LocationCats/CaribbeanIslands.html

[marco]

Depends on your personal interest. My "other half" likes to take along biographies and autobiographers of folks from the golden age of Hollywood. I take along a couple of Agatha Christie's mysteries.

[Floridiana]

Any books by Florida author Carl Hiaasen. All of them funnily weird.

[beachbum53]

I like most of the "Chicken Soup for the _______ Soul" series. Unlike reading a novel, they're short stories, so it's easy to read a couple of stories, put the book down, and come back to it at a later time. There are two that are my favorites. Chicken Soup for the Beach Lover's Soul, and Chicken Soup for the Ocean Lover's Soul. Both are good for taking on a cruise.

[jocap]

For a fun novel about cruising: "Here Come the Girls" by Millie Johnson. There's also a "Here Come the Boys" which I think is only on Kindle, and is drawn from her own experience of missing her cruise ship in Spain.... :eek:

I have read many of Louise Penny's novels, and have a few more to go- I'm not normally a detective novel fan, but I love her settings in the Canadian winters.

Jojo Mayes is another whose books I buy as soon as I can; also Victoria Hislop's "The Island" and others...

For real comfort reading, have you read any of the lovely stories by Irish writer Maeve Binchy?

[mamasylvia]

I am totally with you on bringing the Kindle. That is the only book I took on my last cruise - 100 books in less room than a single paperback would have required! I don't miss turning pages at all, I even enjoy reading on my phone. ;)

 

Janette Oke is quite similar to Karen Kingsbury IMNSHO but set earlier (historical). Amy Clipston has an excellent series set among the Amish. You could also try Nicholas Sparks and Kristin Hannah, they are fairly similar but not Christian.

 

I like mysteries but when I looked through my mystery titles, there were few that I would consider light enough reading to take on a cruise. Molly Dox' Poppy Pepper series might work. If you enjoy fantasy, C. Dale Brittain's Wizard of Yurt books are nice fluff. Jeannette Cottrell's Unicorn on Speed Dial had me in stitches - one of the VERY few books I gave a 5-star review to.

 

If you don't already, start following the free books thread on the Kindle chat board. You can easily put 300 books on any of the Kindles before you even START to see a slowdown in performance, and that way you will have bunches of whatever genre you feel like reading. ;) A lot of the freebies aren't worth what you paid for them, but I've also found some quite good books that way (like the unicorn book).

[broberts]

I use my phone and with a data connection I can get to my local library. So I don't tend to take anything special. I do read an awful lot less on a cruise. There is simply too much else to do.

[chesterbear]

The nice thing about a kindle is that it takes so little space in your luggage that it doesn't matter if you use it much or not. [emoji3]

 

I plan on buying a few true crime and biography books to put on there before I get on the ship but I'm going to go through my list on the cloud and put some back that I want to re read.

 

I would definitely recommend maeve binchy as well.

 

My holiday go to is always pride and prejudice. If I take any paperback that will be the one.

 

 

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[SadieN]

I read up on the classics while on a cruise. Both Dumas, father and son, Twain, Austen, etc.

 

 

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[Nanny8]

Thanks for all the great ideas. I had forgotten about Mauve Binchy.

i also love the BBC series Death in Paradise so the Caribbean mystery series sounds like a great idea.

There are so many to choose from, I'm excited to get some excellent reading done while I recuperate on the ship.

I agree that real books are great but I really have to bring a kindle because I can't hold a full sized book for long periods due to a neck/shoulder injury. The kindle is a great option and I am pretty happy with the choices you get.

I haven't heard of the free book thread on kindle so I will check that out. Thanks again everyone. I hope you all have a great time on your next cruise.

[wannavacay]

Anything by J Maarten Troost

 

 

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[jocap]

I read up on the classics while on a cruise. Both Dumas, father and son, Twain, Austen, etc.

 

 

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I have many of the classics on my kindle- you often can download all for free.

My biggest hit last year, for a long cruise was the complete works of Frances Hodgson Burnett, the Little Lord Fauntleroy, Secret Garden writer. She wrote so many more stories- some better than others- and some just as beautiful as the Secret Garden. They downloaded for free.

[MrsPete]

Another Kindle reader here. I love the practicality of it: So many books in such a small spot. I do take a ziplock bag for reading by the pool.

 

As for WHAT I read on a cruise ... as other people have said, nothing too complicated. This isn't the place to search Game of Thrones for details in Tyrion's backstory (though I dearly love that series). Instead, on a cruise, I lean towards lighthearted romances, etc.

 

I keep a file on my Kindle called VACATION, and when I see something that looks like it'd be good vacation reading, I tuck it away.

 

As for specifics, I just finished reading a nice little trilogy -- The Glassblowers series. Set around 1900-1920 or so, it takes place in a little German town (the author is German, and the series was translated to English). Everyone in the town works with glass. Men "sit at the lamp" blowing glass, while women paint, package, and sell the materials. The main characters' family is prosperous and they specialize in glass works for the medical profession, and everything's good -- until Dad dies (this happens in chapter 1, so I'm not giving away much). Women do not blow glass, so the family now has no income. Each of the three daughters must decide how they're going to deal with this crisis, and although they stick together, each sister chooses a different path. Part of the series is predictable romance (though not graphically sexual), but other parts are a surprise. It's definitely in the quick-and-easy-read category and would be a nice cruise read. The language is lovely and the characters are well-rounded and likeable.

[chesterbear]

I have many of the classics on my kindle- you often can download all for free.

 

My biggest hit last year, for a long cruise was the complete works of Frances Hodgson Burnett, the Little Lord Fauntleroy, Secret Garden writer. She wrote so many more stories- some better than others- and some just as beautiful as the Secret Garden. They downloaded for free.

 

 

I do too and will download them before I go.

 

My only problem with pride and prejudice on a kindle is that my paperback copy is one with reference notes. No matter how many times I read it, I always avidly devour the notes at the back. I miss that on the kindle so will make room in my suitcase for it [emoji3]

 

 

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[Harry and Lucille]

I always recommend "Kon Tiki" by Thor Hyerdal. True story with many pics of raft sailed across the Pacific. ;)

[mamasylvia]

> I have many of the classics on my kindle- you often can download all for free.

 

Check out Gutenberg.org and manybooks.net - tons of public domain ebooks available free. The Kindle can read any .mobi book file. (Can also ready .txt and .pdf but I like the formatting of .mobi files.) I use Calibre to store my PD books and send them to a Kindle when I want them.

 

> my paperback copy is one with reference notes

 

Depending on how much effort you are willing to put into leaving the paperback at home, you can take the notes along. Just scan them into a file and import the file to Calibre. You can read .txt or .pdf files on the Kindle, but I usually copy the .txt file and add HTML formatting codes, then have Calibre convert the .html to true .mobi format. If you know how to use HTML, it doesn't take much longer.