Need a good book

[DAJ]

What's everyone reading these days. Haven't picked up a book in a while so I'm a bit out of touch. Romances are not me and I've done the DaVinci thing (and his others). Crosswords are fine and I'm addicted to SuDoku but that is not for a relaxing cruise. Got two weeks to go. So what's the latest good read??

[canderson]

What's everyone reading these days. Haven't picked up a book in a while so I'm a bit out of touch. Romances are not me and I've done the DaVinci thing (and his others). Crosswords are fine and I'm addicted to SuDoku but that is not for a relaxing cruise. Got two weeks to go. So what's the latest good read??

Grab a handful of Clive Cussler's old stuff in paperback if you haven't read them yet. Might want to focus on the "Dirk Pitt" novels first. Good cruise reading.

[yiddishkopf]

I heartily recommend Middlesex. The author's last name is Eugenides -- first name possibly Jeffrey. I'm a voracious reader and this is one of the best books I've ever read.

[catmand]

For some of the best twisted, sick, dark characters and wild humor get any number of books by Carl Hiaasen. I might suggest "Skinny Dip" for starters as it does open on a cruise ship.

[babylene]

Recently read Middlesex...excellent on many levels. By the way....Yiddishkopf...love your name!!

[canderson]

For some of the best twisted, sick, dark characters and wild humor get any number of books by Carl Hiaasen. I might suggest "Skinny Dip" for starters as it does open on a cruise ship.

For sick and twisted characters and humor, I'd go with Tim Dorsey, staring with "Florida Roadkill" and working my way along. I caught "Roadkill" just as we were in port at Key West a couple of years ago. Thought of staying on the boat!

[Danno]

Stuart Woods...read "Dead in the Water" years ago on a cruise ship and was hooked. Also any of the Archie MacNally books by Lawrence Sanders...mostly "fluff" but a great, fun, read.

[canderson]

Stuart Woods...read "Dead in the Water" years ago on a cruise ship and was hooked. Also any of the Archie MacNally books by Lawrence Sanders...mostly "fluff" but a great, fun, read.

Seems like it's been ages since he's done an Archie McNally book, but it was just over a year ago as I recall -- McNally's Bluff. You're right -- total fluff and great fun. Lardo has done a decent job of taking over from Sanders on this series. Think Archie will ever marry his little enchilada Connie?

[Alzarine]

Can never keep from writing in when good books are discussed. If you like thriller type books, I just finished "The Exile" by Allan Folsom. It's a very good read and had me captivated through every page. I also like any of Rosenberg's books (also thrillers) but darned if I can remember his first name.:)

 

A good historical novel about Mary Todd Lincoln is " The Emancipators Wife "

Another enjoyable book I had a hard time putting down.

Happy Reading !

[Danno]

Seems like it's been ages since he's done an Archie McNally book, but it was just over a year ago as I recall -- McNally's Bluff. You're right -- total fluff and great fun. Lardo has done a decent job of taking over from Sanders on this series. Think Archie will ever marry his little enchilada Connie?

 

Why buy the cow.....;)

[dbh62ark]

Man, I can't resist a book thread either. My book club reads a lot of different types of fiction books, and we are reading an AWESOME book right now called The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. You can check out reviews on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1594480001/qid=1131491110/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-2275079-8650406?v=glance&s=books&n=507846.

 

I always have so many books on my "wish list."

 

Happy reading to all,

Donna

[Faygelah]

For my last cruise, I read several books that I enjoyed, but I couldn't remember the plot a few hours after I put them down: Sue Grafton, Jonathan Kellerman, etc. I decided that I wanted to remember the cruise I'm taking next week (11/20 Millennium), so I asked around for books that would really stick with me so that when I thought of them, I'd think of the cruise.

 

I asked around for good suggestions and this is what I'm taking: Reading Lolita in Tehran, Middlesex, Bee Season, and The Mermaid Chair.

[gkm]

I have a lot of favorite authors, and they all write about the same character, so try to find the first one:

1) Michael Connelly - Harry Bosch series

2) Robert Crais - Elvis Cole series

3) Lee Child - Jack Reacher series

4) John Sandford - the "Prey" series

5) Stephen White - Alan Gregory series.

 

These are all excellent, exciting and fun reads. Good luck on finding the right book for you. DaVinci and Sudoku are also things I enjoy.:D

 

Garry

[rowmcvie]

and now "Son of a Witch" - both by Gregory McGuire. Although I think I am finally going to tackle "Shakey" which I've had for about 3. 5 years now - Neil Young biography - and which my husband kind of gives me a hard time about not even reading yet when it was a gift to me from him - and he's already read it. Should be nice out on our aft balcony! :)

[MarcieandTed]

"The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold - it's a heart-wrenching story about murdered a 14-year old girl who watches her family suffer from heaven. You won't be able to put it down. If I could only find another book as unforgettable...

[McDebbie]

The Lovely Bones was good! I have been re-reading some of John Irving, just finished "A Widow for One Year". But you might want to select something lighter for a cruise, what about "In Her Shoes" from that new movie? (well, the movie was from the book but whatever)

[theduffys]

JUst finished Amy Tan's newest, "Saving Fish From Drowning", and thought it was delightful.

[bostom]

Mine; hopefully others might enjoy some of these as well:

 

"Team of Rivals" by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The best Lincoln bio in years. And this time, she wrote it.

"The Lighthouse" by PD James. Her latest, to be released in the US next week. Nobody does mystery characters better.

"Where There's A Will" by John Mortimer. Advice to the next generation.

"Another Bullsh-t Night in S-ck City" by Nick Flynn. Tough title but an incredible memoir about a father's life lost and after a fashion, redeemed by his son. Also set in my home town. I knew these people.

"Don't Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight" by Alexandra Fuller. An African childhood in the 70's and 80's as Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) sunk into anarchy.

"The Year of Magical Thinking" by Joan Didion. The clearest eye writing today, detailing the death of her husband.

"Nothing Lost" by John Gregory Dunne. His last and perhaps best novel. Crime and (surprising) punishment.

"Churchill" by Roy Jenkins. Perhaps the greatest politician of 'em all.

"The City of Falling Angels" by John Berendt. Venice seen through the eyes of the author of "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil."

"Our Culture, or What's Left of It" by Theodore Dalrymple. Why England is going down the tubes, and it's not all Tony Blair's fault.

"In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote. Forty years later, it's as riveting as it was the first time.

"J. Robert Oppenheimer and the American Century" by David Cassidy. The man who got the A-bomb built and lived to regret it.

"Lion of Hollywood" by Scott Eyman. The second "M" in Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. They don't make moguls like they used to.

"Harvey Cushing, a Life in Surgery" by Michael Bliss. A lot of us are alive today thanks to this pioneering surgeon.

"The Italian Secretary" by Caleb Carr channeling Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. David Rizzo, Mary Queen of Scots, Holyrood House and the blood that never dries.

"Oh The Glory of it All" by Sean Wilsey. His real Mom was (for real) a character in "Tales of the City." His evil stepmother just rebuilt (for real) the deYoung Museum. A childhood that could only happen in San Francisco.

"Nasty" by Simon Doonan. The tiny terror of Barney's windows on his - interesting - 50's childhood in Reading in the UK. A sense of humor can carry you a helluva long way.

 

Taken as a whole, this list would seem to say that truth IS stranger than fiction, and a lot more readable.

[pennstater]

I'll second the suggestion of 'In Her Shoes'. I'm a big fan of Jennifer Weiner's books. 'Good in Bed' was great, and I read 'In Her Shoes' on my honeymoon. I'm taking her other 2 - 'Little Earthquakes' and 'Goodnight Nobody' - on my cruise in a few weeks. I don't normally go for chick flicks or chick books, but she doesn't write fluff - she really delves into complex relationships and journeys of personal growth. Still a woman's read, but perfect for a vacation, IMHO.

[cruisintwinsmom]

Man, I can't resist a book thread either. My book club reads a lot of different types of fiction books, and we are reading an AWESOME book right now called The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. You can check out reviews on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1594480001/qid=1131491110/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-2275079-8650406?v=glance&s=books&n=507846.

 

I always have so many books on my "wish list."

 

Happy reading to all,

Donna

 

 

I have to second this book, it is the best book we have read in our book club.

[Leela]

I'm working through Neil Stephenson's "Baroque Cycle." It's three massive books of historical fiction. Actually historical science fiction, with some political espionage and assorted swashbuckling mixed in. The individual books are "Quicksilver," "The Confusion," and "System of the World." They are fabulous, the most enjoyable books I've read in some time. I especially like "Quicksilver" because there's a lot of funny scenes where they describe Issac Newton and other famous scientists of the 1600's. The books are so long that unless you read really fast, one will last you through two long plane rides and a cruise (we're talking 700-1000 pages per book).

[amyr]

I want to chime in on The Kite Runner as well. Wonderful, wonderful book. I'm glad to hear the good reviews on Middlesex, it's going with me on my upcoming transatlantic along with A Million Little Pieces and one more I haven't decided on yet.

 

Another good bood that I was hesitant to pick up but had so many good recommendations on was The Other Boleyn Girl. I bought it for this cruise, started a few pages to see if it should make the trip (it's big) and finished it in three days. It was great.

[flashdog_1]

Seems like it's been ages since he's done an Archie McNally book, but it was just over a year ago as I recall -- McNally's Bluff. You're right -- total fluff and great fun. Lardo has done a decent job of taking over from Sanders on this series. Think Archie will ever marry his little enchilada Connie?

 

Vincent Lardo co authored the Archy books, and finished the last one when Sanders died in 1998. Until I just looked it up on line, I hadn't realized he'd co-authored any but the last book. But I see that about half a dozen have been written since Sanders death. He'll marry Connie when he decides there aren't going to be any sequels is my guess. Or if Archy has a "too close" experience with danger. ha

[Mysteryreader]

For something that's just pure fun:

 

Solomon vs. Lord by Paul Levine. Pbk recently published. It's a LOL bk--legal thriller *&* comedy. Definitely recommended for Carl Hiaasen fans. I passed it on to my dh to take on our 4-nt Zenith cruise leaving ... are you ready??? ... TOMORROW!

 

M/R

[dbh62ark]

I asked around for good suggestions and this is what I'm taking: Reading Lolita in Tehran, Middlesex, Bee Season, and The Mermaid Chair.

Faygelah, I know different people like different books, but I had to give you a warning about Reading Lolita in Tehran. Out of 10 people in my book club who all love books very much, we all hated that one. Only two of us out of 10 even finished that book. If you look closely at the reviews on Amazon, you'll see that this book is not for everyone. I just thought I'd let you know because I have so many books to read and so little time, so I hate it when I get a stinker. We read it when it first came out, and there weren't a lot of real people reviews out there, so we wish we had been warned. It seems to be a book that people really like or really hate, and we just fell into the hate category. If you do decide to read it, I hope you enjoy it.

 

Wow, it's amazing to see comments on so many books/authors that I love. Cruisintwinsmom, I'm glad your book club loved The Kite Runner too. It's an amazing read. MarcieandTed and McDebbie, I also LOVED the book The Lovely Bones. That author is so talented. Rowmcvie, we also read Confessions of a Wicked Stepsister by Gregory Maguire, and I want to read Wicked. One of my friends went to see the play.

 

For those who like chick-lit set in the south (I don't think I know whether or not the original poster is a male or female), I read a good one recently called Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews. One of the best laugh-out-loud books that I've read lately is Confessions of a Shopaholic (London setting for that one) by Sophie Kinsella. I like to balance the serious books with the ones that make me laugh. Standing in the Rainbow by Fannie Flagg and the Mitford series by Jan Karon are also very cozy reads that I highly recommend if you like that kind of fiction.

 

The CC members have great taste in books, and I'm going to check out some of the other recommendations, so this is a great thread. Keep them coming!

 

:) Donna