Book Recommendations

[CL82]

Just finished the Old Man's War series. Good summer reads.

Just read the lastest installment in the Reacher series. Very good read. It is the definition of page turner. I think I went through it three days. Really looking forward to the next one which is coming out in October.

 

[nwhoopfan]

You are a faster reader than I am. I am around half-way through with Book 5 and have really been enjoying it. I liked, but didn't love, Book 4. I find Book 5 to be a welcome return to the Reaper in all his baddassery.

The multiple point of view characters in Book 4 was kind of clunky. Switched w/ every chapter, was a bit disjointed, and some of the character arcs just weren't as interesting as others. In Book 5 he follows an individual character for several chapters, until he reaches a more natural stopping point before switching. Also I found all of the character's stories more interesting this time around.

About a third of the way thru I was kinda wrecked, had to take a break for about a day. But then I couldn't put it down and plowed thru the rest of the way. Stayed up too late several nights working on it.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Just finished the Old Man's War series. Good summer reads.

John Scalzi is another author who is a heck of a storyteller. I've enjoyed some of his stand alone novels in addition to that series.

 

[8893]

I really only read for pleasure on vacation. Knocked off two during our vacation a few weeks ago: Where the Crawdads Sing and Jeff Tweedy's memoir, Let's Go (So We Can Get Back).

The former was a good summer fiction read. Different than I was expecting, more of a "chick book" imo (and every woman I know who has read it loved it), but definitely interesting enough to recommend, with the added bonus of a decent murder mystery and courtroom drama.

The latter was much better, funnier and more interesting than I expected. Very interesting guy with several good insights and laugh-out-loud observations. If you are a Wilco fan it's a must. If not, still a very interesting read.

 

[Deepster]

I only read non-fiction. Two recommendations there would be:

Live from New York: The Complete Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told By It's Stars, Writers and Guests

Interview style storytelling through all the years of SNL, up through I think about 2014-2015. Great if you're mid-40's to mid-50's and grew up with SNL.

A History of the World in Six Glasses

A great look at the impact of the world's economy through 6 beverages -- beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola. For instance, Coca-Cola was the first beverage you could produce the syrup, then anyone with a seltzer gun or bottling plant could produce it. And they feel it was important to our success in the WWs because the soldiers could hold the iconic bottle, sip a familiar taste and feel like they were home for a brief moment.

 

[gwhuskyfan]

I only read non-fiction. Two recommendations there would be:
Live from New York: The Complete Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told By It's Stars, Writers and Guests

Interview style storytelling through all the years of SNL, up through I think about 2014-2015. Great if you're mid-40's to mid-50's and grew up with SNL.
A History of the World in Six Glasses

A great look at the impact of the world's economy through 6 beverages -- beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola. For instance, Coca-Cola was the first beverage you could produce the syrup, then anyone with a seltzer gun or bottling plant could produce it. And they feel it was important to our success in the WWs because the soldiers could hold the iconic bottle, sip a familiar taste and feel like they were home for a brief moment.

I saw the Six Glasses book at B&N the other day and was really interested by it. Added it to my list.

 

[nwhoopfan]

I just picked up Dark Matter by Blake Crouch and goshdarn if this isn't a page turner.

I'm plowing thru his newest offering, "Recursion." This one is quite a mind screw. Toys with the notions of time, memories and reality.

 

[jdb50]

"Embers of War" by Fredrik Logevall. How we wound up following the French into Vietnam. They refused to give up the concept of Colonialism and then we bankrolled their war and their mistakes. Dulles was heavily involved in this march to fiasco. Quite a book.

 

[Walker11]

I'm plowing thru his newest offering, "Recursion." This one is quite a mind screw. Toys with the notions of time, memories and reality.

65 % through and started Thursday. Love it. Good rec.

 

[mike012]

Imaginary Friend on Audible. Just came out in October, I am 12 hours in and there hasn't been a boring part in the book yet. It is a horror story, along the lines of IT I would say. But on a town wide scale.

 

[CL82]

Ever read any of the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child? Ex-military police, now free lance tough guy that gives the bad guys the comeuppance they so badly need. The author is prolific, as far as I know they are all pretty much stand alone, so you could just randomly pick up any of them. What I call brain candy or an airport book.

Love them. I look forward to it when a new comes out. They definitely are compelling and entertaining.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Boom Town by Sam Anderson - History of OKC told thru lense of the Thunder, just finished this morning, excellent history, current events and sports!

Red Notice by Bill Browder is good non-fiction in a different vein. Super important I think given the current world.

 

[Steelerone]

What have all you read recently that you recommend? My current mood is easy crime reads and I have between reading Lehane, Pelacanos and Leonard but a good book is a good book.

Try John Sanford, either is Prey series or his Virgil Flowers novels. Most take place in, of all places, Minnesota, but you are dragged in by page two or three. Also, he combines humor with great police work.

 

[8893]

I took a trip to San Francisco last week and grabbed Here and Now and Then, a book I bought on a whim a few months ago, to bring just in case the spirit moved me on the flights to and from. I was planning to do some work on the plane but the wifi was down for the flight there, so I ended up reading half on the the way there and the other half on the way home. It's part sci-fi fiction/mystery novel that involves an interesting twist on time travel and reminded me a bit of what I recall of A Wrinkle in Time, which I loved as a kid. But the more interesting aspect to me, and the part that kept me hooked, was the father-daughter relationship at the center of the story. It is the first novel from the author, Mike Chen, and although there are a few times when I could detect that, for the most part it is well done and an interesting, easy read. Unexpected bonus for me was that it takes place in San Francisco, which I had totally forgotten when I grabbed it from by bookshelf for this trip.

Definitely recommend for any fathers of daughters.

 

[NEforceUConn]

Try John Sanford, either is Prey series or his Virgil Flowers novels. Most take place in, of all places, Minnesota, but you are dragged in by page two or three. Also, he combines humor with great police work.

Prey series is platinum. I was going to say Gold but Golden Prey is a book in series.

Sanford is right up there with Lee Child’s Reacher series and anything by David Baldacci

 

[CL82]

I just read the new Reacher book In Too Deep. It's solid, but something is lacking a little bit.

It is a promising premise. Reacher wakes up, handcuffed to a steel table, concussed, and with a broken arm. He has no idea how he got there, he only knows he's going to make them regret what they've done to him. That sits the table for an interesting novel which focuses on Reacher's brain, rather than his brawn. Without giving too much away, the co-authors give up on that intriguing premise far too quickly.

In the inevitable physical confrontations, even a concussed, one armed Jack Reacher is more than a match for every other character. That ends up taking the drama and interest out of the physical confrontations in the long run.

Overall, this was still an interesting read, but I feel as if the Reacher series is becoming more one-dimensional with Reacher, essentially becoming a superhero.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I think the Bosch TV show is very underrated. Fantasy recommendations are welcome as well. I am listening to The Name of The Wind right now. I burnt myself out plugging through non fiction and now am trying to binge through page-turners.

I'll recommend what I always do in that Genre, the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. Starts slow in book one but gets much better. There are several other good ones of course, Misborn by Sanderson, the Alex Verus books by Benedict Jacka. If you want lighter fantasy, with a dose of raunchy, The Hollows by Kim Harrison. Characters are well done. Another one like that is the Kate Daniels series by Iolna Andrews. Both have rather unusual urban fantasy interpretations.

 

[CL82]

I'll recommend what I always do in that Genre, the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher

The question is when will we get the next book? Will he actually marry Lara? Apparently the plan is some more case file stories and then he will finish the series with a big trilogy.

Thanks for getting me started on these. I've enjoyed them.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The question is when will we get the next book? Will he actually marry Lara? Apparently the plan is some more case file stories and then he will finish the series with a big trilogy.

Thanks for getting me started on these. I've enjoyed them.

I think yes, he will marry Lara, even if Molly is going to lose her mind. Also, he clearly likes her, and vice versa, despite um, things.

Have you read the short stories? Next book is called Twelve Months. Then Mirror Mirror. The wait is ridiculous at this point. Will be at least 5 years.

 

[CL82]

I think yes, he will marry Lara, even if Molly is going to lose her mind. Also, he clearly likes her, and vice versa, despite um, things.

Have you read the short stories? Next book is called Twelve Months. Then Mirror Mirror. The wait is ridiculous at this point. Will be at least 5 years.

I think I have, but it would've been a while ago. Those are the case file ones, right?

Yeah, he has getting very George R Martin- like in terms of chigging out books. I get that he has another series (something "spire" maybe?) so he's probably working on them alternately, but I don't read the other ones so I don't care.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I think I have, but it would've been a while ago. Those are the case file ones, right?

Yeah, he has getting very George R Martin- like in terms of chigging out books. I get that he has another series (something "spire" maybe?) so he's probably working on them alternately, but I don't read the other ones so I don't care.

He keeps whining about things. Divorce. New wife. Dog. New house. Now he hurt his back boxing. He has two other series. The short stories are good, not case files exactly. They fill in some gaps in the series.

 

[billythekid]

For those looking for something a little out there, I highly recommend Dungeon Crawler Carl, by Matt Dinniman. This book is part of a sub-genre of Fantasy called LitRPG. The description sounds crazy and the series is nuts, but super fun to read, with many laugh-out-loud moments. LitRPG books take the form of a role-playing game. If you've read Ready Player One, that is a prime example. In this case, our main character is Carl. He's watching his ex-girlfriend's cat one night when the cat, Princess Donut, gets out the window. Carl runs out of the apartment to chase after Donut and while they're outside, aliens collapse every structure on the planet. The only people to survive are folks that were outside at the time. The aliens invite the survivors to participate in the elaborate dungeon crawl they've set up below the earth's surface. In Hunger Games style, the dungeon crawl is televised throughout the galaxy. Here's the description from Amazon in case mine doesn't make sense:

The apocalypse will be televised!
You know what’s worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Being stuck with her prize-winning show cat. And you know what’s worse than that? An alien invasion, the destruction of all man-made structures on Earth, and the systematic exploitation of all the survivors for a sadistic intergalactic game show. That’s what.

Join Coast Guard vet Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they try to survive the end of the world—or just get to the next level—in a video game–like, trap-filled fantasy dungeon. A dungeon that’s actually the set of a reality television show with countless viewers across the galaxy. Exploding goblins. Magical potions. Deadly, drug-dealing llamas. This ain’t your ordinary game show.

 

[ZooCougar]

I think the Bosch TV show is very underrated. Fantasy recommendations are welcome as well. I am listening to The Name of The Wind right now. I burnt myself out plugging through non fiction and now am trying to binge through page-turners.

Bosch is amazing.

Every time I attempt to read fantasy I give up. With all the lingo and everything it's like I am reading something in a foreign language.

 

[CL82]

I just finish Eric Larsen's book The Devil in the White City about the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The narrative alternates between the architectural, engineering, and political challenges of building the exposition and the murders by HH Holmes, which occurred during the fair.

Holmes built a hotel at the fair equipped with a gas chamber and a cremation vault. 50 people are known to have gone missing after checking into his hotel and estimates of his total killing ranges high as 250 people. This seems impossible by modern standards, but the book explains that, even before the exposition, people regularly went missing in Chicago. So much so that the police lacked the ability to materially follow up on the cases.

The story of the Colombian Exposition is no less fascinating. A lot of things that we take for granted originated there, including, the Ferris wheel, Crackerjack, shredded wheat and carnival midways. It also started, or at least rejuvenated, America's fascination with classical architecture, which continues to this day. It was built by the combined efforts of the greatest architects of the day.

The juxtaposition of that triumph with Holmes' depravity makes the book a fascinating read.

 

[storrsroars]

^ Read that years ago. I knew nothing of the murders story so it was all a shocking surprise. Author really did a terrific job with describing not just the Fair, but the times, while simultaneously giving the reader a gruesome horror story. A really good read.

 

[NEforceUConn]

I’ve been reading the John Connolly series with Charlie Parker. Books are great but dayuum they are dark. I kind of wonder how the cumulative effect of the series will affect me, if at all.

I do agree with Harlan Coben’s description of these books:

“Darkly brilliant, spellbinding and disturbing”

 

[64Zcode]

I’ve been reading the John Connolly series with Charlie Parker. Books are great but dayuum they are dark. I kind of wonder how the cumulative effect of the series will affect me, if at all.

I do agree with Harlan Coben’s description of these books:

“Darkly brilliant, spellbinding and disturbing”

Yep, dark and disturbing pretty much covers it.
Not sure how far along you are with the series but is seems to me like there are hints being dropped that will lead to a resolution of Parker's true nature. At least I'm hoping...
I think I'm current with the series but now have to head to Amazon to make sure I'm not lagging behind.

 

[Jbigfan]

I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. Spy/suspense
I’m reading Robert Dugoni’s trilogy of his Charles Jenkins series. Excellent
Red Notice by Bill Browder. non-fiction must read
The Saboteur by Andrew Gross. Fiction, but based on a true story from WWII
’The Devil At His Elbow..Alex Murdaugh And The Fall Of A Southern Dynasty’ by Valerie Bauerlein. Author is journalist that covered all of the Murdaugh family layers of crimes. Excellent read!