OT: Need Book Recomendations, I'm stuck inside

[NEforceUConn]

The Travis McGee series is the only one of this type I've ever read extensively. I've had no idea that Baldacci is anything like John D. MacDonald or any good. Thanks for this.

Baldacchino has 5 series with approximately 5/6 books in each one. Like the Travis McGee series you don’t necessarily have to read in order, but it’s better to. I loved the 20+ TM series. Baldacci’ shorter series still does a great job with character development/consistency. Each book is maybe 450 pages compared with the shorter 250 page TM books.

 

[Lefty2one]

Some more popular/classic ones. Worth reading if you haven't crossed them off your list yet.

• John Irving - A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Cider House Rules.
• John Steinbeck - East of Eden. My favorite novel. Bonus points for its opening chapters taking place in Connecticut.
• Cormac McCarthy - Blood Meridian. Crazy, crazy book. The Road would be an appropriate read during these weird times. More than any other book, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed The Road. People seem to love it or hate it.
• Philip Roth - The Plot Against America. The HBO series just launched. Roth was such a gifted writer. Might be up your alley since you like Follett.
• If you really want to kill some time you can go through John Updike's Rabbit tetralogy. He's as talented a writer as there was during the 20th century IMO. Most of the characters are deplorable but if that doesn't bother you they're great reads.
• Since you mentioned Follett, I enjoyed The Eye of the Needle (a rare quick/short Follett read). Quite different from The Pillars of the Earth, etc. but it's good.

 

[uconnfan68]

If you haven't read Tom Clancy, there are a ton of his label around (and by multiple other authors after his death). Robert Ludlum's 'Jason Bourne' series.

 

[Drumguy]

Anything by Harlen Coben, David Baldacci, Robert B.Parker, Michael Connelly and Lee Child.

Coben also has three series on Netflix, Safe, The Five and The Stranger.

Connelly has the Bosch series on Amazon, fifth season coming up.

Add Lee Child's collaboration with Douglas Preston - Author Preston Child. I'm not a big fan of the Pendergast novels but I like the other ones.

 

[storrsroars]

To my previous recos, let me add Carl Hiaasen's books. Start with Tourist Season. They are all mysteries, with the typical murder, graft and whatnot, but they're all in Florida, each with a cast of characters that only Florida could produce. Many based on real stories that Hiaasen covered for the Miami Herald, but he adds just enough exaggeration to them to make the books sometimes LOL funny yet still believable. He's a crazier Elmore Leonard.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

well, since someone else already mentioned nonfiction, my cup of tea, I will recommend my personal gold standard, read by generations of my-un's 'The Outline of History, Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind,' by H.G. Wells, 1920. like many before me, I've been reading it for decades.

 

[jostar1]

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[intlzncster]

IMO the stormlight archive puts mistborn to shame--mistborn always felt kind of juvenile to me. SA is as good as epic fantasy has gotten in years. It's an investment--books are 1000+ pages, but worth it.

I've heard those are better, that's next on my list once I finish Mistborn

Pretty much everything Sanderson has done is good, though some are geared towards YA. All his book and series are slightly related, that is they take place in the same universe (what he calls 'the omniverse'), and you will see some of the same characters pop up in different series...as some are able to travel worlds/times/places.

Before you read Stormlight, I suggest you read Warbreaker. There's an interesting origin story/character that shows up later in Stormlight. Warbreaker is a stand alone novel that is a quick read.

I've read a ton of fantasy. For something a little different in the same arena:

Book of the Ancestor series by Mark Lawrence. A little YA, but interesting and very different world building. Also a female protagonist which is different.

The Gentleman Bastards Sequence by Scott Lynch. Very interesting caper series

Powder Mage series Brian McClellan

Raven's Shadow trilogy by Anthony Ryan

Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo

 

[Drumguy]

Pretty much everything Sanderson has done is good, though some are geared towards YA. All his book and series are slightly related, that is they take place in the same universe (what he calls 'the omniverse'), and you will see some of the same characters pop up in different series...as some are able to travel worlds/times/places.

Before you read Stormlight, I suggest you read Warbreaker. There's an interesting origin story/character that shows up later in Stormlight. Warbreaker is a stand alone novel that is a quick read.

I've read a ton of fantasy. For something a little different in the same arena:

Book of the Ancestor series by Mark Lawrence. A little YA, but interesting and very different world building. Also a female protagonist which is different.

The Gentleman Bastards Sequence by Scott Lynch. Very interesting caper series

Powder Mage series Brian McClellan

Raven's Shadow trilogy by Anthony Ryan

Six of Crows duology by Leigh Bardugo

I'd add Throne of Glass to those as well, by Sara Maas! Maybe also the Heir series by Cinda Williams Chima. Easy fun reads.

 

[ucinnc]

Re-upping what a couple other posters have said:

The Count of Monte Cristo - so damn good (and don’t get the abridged version). Great last sentence.

A Prayer for Owen Meany - love that little guy, culminates with a scene that is somehow both tragic and happy.

And I’ll also throw in Winds of War by Herman Wouk as a recommendation for a great historical novel.

 

[TheRealKBuks]

I thought City of Thieves was a real page-turner. It was written by David Benioff who became one of the show runners for Game of Thrones after.

A book written by one of the guys who killed game of thrones is not a great selling point.

 

[QDOG5]

The Overstory by Richard Powers

 

[Waquoit]

The SO just asked me if "Love In the Time of Cholera" would be good for the book club. Yeah, it would. It's great. Read that.

 

[Rich]

i’m actually in the middle of reading this right now. would never have expected to see it pop up on the yard.

I LOVE Stephenson. He’s a lot like Pynchon-challenges you.

 

[husky429]

The SO just asked me if "Love In the Time of Cholera" would be good for the book club. Yeah, it would. It's great. Read that.

Seconded.

Marquez is one of my absolute favorite authors. I have probably read 100 Years of Solitude 5x. He is brilliant.

I teach "A Very old Man with enormous wings" every year to my class as kind of the "intro" to magical realism.

 

[cordeodato]

It’s not fiction but Unbroken is the most amazing true story you will ever read.

It’s not fiction but Unbroken is the most amazing true story you will ever read.
[/QUOTE

i read this a few years ago and have it say I have some doubts. Not saying it is all untrue but seems a little Papillon ish to me. A bit too fantastical. Maybe I am wrong.. i am not saying it is all untrue. But embellished. To the person who was surprised that Cryptonomicon was mentioned on the Boneyard I guess they were not reading Boneyard about 3 yrs ago

 

[cordeodato]

btw I loved Seabiscuit by her

 

[cordeodato]

Some more popular/classic ones. Worth reading if you haven't crossed them off your list yet.

• John Irving - A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Cider House Rules.
• John Steinbeck - East of Eden. My favorite novel. Bonus points for its opening chapters taking place in Connecticut.
• Cormac McCarthy - Blood Meridian. Crazy, crazy book. The Road would be an appropriate read during these weird times. More than any other book, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed The Road. People seem to love it or hate it.
• Philip Roth - The Plot Against America. The HBO series just launched. Roth was such a gifted writer. Might be up your alley since you like Follett.
• If you really want to kill some time you can go through John Updike's Rabbit tetralogy. He's as talented a writer as there was during the 20th century IMO. Most of the characters are deplorable but if that doesn't bother you they're great reads.
• Since you mentioned Follett, I enjoyed The Eye of the Needle (a rare quick/short Follett read). Quite different from The Pillars of the Earth, etc. but it's good.

Haven’t read it in about 50 years But always have had a soft spot for Steinbeck’s Winter of our Discontent. Have to admit East of Eden was my favorite book for a long time

 

[KingConn]

Assuming you read the century trilogy by Follet. Several have mentioned the pillars of the earth by follet which also has 3 books (pillars, a world without end and a column of fire) and a fourth coming later this year if I recall. Great one off read from follet is a dangerous fortune.

Also voting for the Michael Connely books (Bosch and Lincoln lawyer).

 

[Husk04ies]

I love anything by Bill Bryson if you like nonfiction. His book "One Summer" is my favorite!

 

[CL82]

I love anything bu Bill Bryson if you like nonfiction. His book "One Summer" is my favorite!

A Walk in the Woods is a terrific book.

 

[Drytortugas]

A second vote for A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles.
Fat City by Leonard Gardner
The Anthologist by Nicholson Baker

 

[Sibeerian]

I’ve recommended this before but the Master Commander series by Patrick O’Brian is a favorite of mine. It is excellent.

For the genre you like you can’t go wrong with Tom Clancy. Start with The Hunt for Red October.

I want to second the Patrick O'Brian recommendation, the inspiration for the "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" film with Russell Crowe. Historical fiction. Known also as the Aubrey and Maturin series. If you get into it, it will keep you busy for a long time. About a British navy officer climbing the ranks alongside his friend the ship's surgeon/naturalist. The author doesn't cut you any slack - he just drops you into the era and you have to let all the period language and seafaring jargon wash over you and enjoy the story and humor. The first book is Master and Commander.

 

[alphasigko]

James Clavell.....Shogun, one of the best books of all time.....The Noble House Series starting with Taipan going all the way thru Gai-Jin....Was anxiously expecting the last book in the series....sadly he died before it was finished. Also, King Rat, a story about a WWII POW Camp in Singapore....ALL GREAT reads!

 

[CL82]

James Clavell.....Shogun, one of the best books of all time.....The Noble House Series starting with Taipan going all the way thru Gai-Jin....Was anxiously expecting the last book in the series....sadly he died before it was finished. Also, King Rat, a story about a WWII POW Camp in Singapore....ALL GREAT reads!

Noble House is an outstanding series. Never got around to Shogun. Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Lefty2one]

Haven’t read it in about 50 years But always have had a soft spot for Steinbeck’s Winter of our Discontent. Have to admit East of Eden was my favorite book for a long time

I really liked Winter as well. It was his last novel, correct? He's one of the very few authors that I can read absolutely anything by them and enjoy it.

 

[zymurg]

Here are some non fiction possibilities. "Playing for Pizza"by John Grisham is the true story of Rick Dockery whose performance in the Super Bowl was so awful that no team wanted him. His agent finds him a job as the quarterback for the Parma Panthers. That's Parma, Italy. This is really enjoyable.

The Making of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman details his experiences as a student at the Culinary Institute of America. If you have an interest in the subject;this is compelling reading.

Roger Ebert's"The Great Movies." There are 4 volumes. The first 3 have one hundred newly written reviews. The final volume has only 60+ reviews. The completion was interrupted by Ebert's death. I have all four volumes, but for most of you, go to RogerEbert.com all the reviews are there. There is a special section for the Great Movies. IMO Ebert is the best critic. He writes really well;he understands film, and he has the ability to clarify things for the reader.

 

[CL82]

I really liked Winter as well. It was his last novel, correct? He's one of the very few authors that I can read absolutely anything by them and enjoy it.

I feel like you should have a bowl full of anti-depressants to munch on when you read Steinbeck. Of Mice and Men and The Pearl come to mind as books that you finish up thinking "Really? Really dude? You had to do that?" Excellent author though.

 

[Lefty2one]

I feel like you should have a bowl full of anti-depressants to munch on when you read Steinbeck. Of Mice and Men and The Pearl come to mind as books that you finish up thinking "Really? Really dude? You had to do that?" Excellent author though.

Agreed. Same with much of John Updike and John Cheever for me. Is it just 20th-century writers named John? lol. I love all three but have had to take a break from each for my own mental health. For whatever reason I'm drawn to depressing books. Maybe it's the type of book that elicits emotions the most for me (or the easiest).

 

[storrsroars]

The Making of a Chef by Michael Ruhlman details his experiences as a student at the Culinary Institute of America. If you have an interest in the subject;this is compelling reading.

Excellent book, as is Rulman's "The Soul of a Chef". The third and final in that series, "The Reach of a Chef" is a bit more esoteric and inside baseball, but still great for food professionals and wannabe pros.

And as long as we're on food, have to give a nod to Bourdain's classic "Kitchen Confidential".