One of my favorite things to do in the fall, other than knitting of course, is to curl up with a good novel. I've even gotten into the habit of listening to audiobooks so that I can knit at the same time! The book that I most recently finished was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, a Swedish murder mystery. The story kept me entertained as I dyed yarn and it was really interesting to listen to a contemporary novel that was originally written in a language other than English, for a non-English speaking audience. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.
Now for our contest. All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post (please include your name or email address so we know who you are!) telling us about a book that you recently read and would recommend to others. Let us know what genre it falls into (romance, murder mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, etc) and at least one reason you enjoyed it. Make sure to get your entry in by Sept 22nd and on the 23rd we will randomly select a winner!
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27 comments:
The Christmas Sweater by Glenn Beck. It caught my attention quickly and gave me an insight into a boy's view.
Audiobooks are great for getting me through tedious tasks. However they don't help me avoid them like a book-in-hand can do.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. I've read the series several times now and never tire of it. I always read through all the books in the series before the author releases a new book.
The book falls under romance but I think it's full of action, adventure and a touch of fantasy (the main character travels back in time). It's not your typical romance book. The author does a wonderful job helping you get to know the characters. I couldn't stop turning the pages to find out what happened next.
My email address is located in my blogger profile.
The Onion Girl, by Charles de Lint. Although I really enjoy most of his books, this one stuck out in my mind. I like his exploration of the dream/awake states and his use of vaguely SW Native American imagery throughout. A good story, plus thought-provoking, for me. I think most folks would categorize his works as "Fantasy".
Email is: anneDOTpodlesakATgmailDOTcom.
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is a fabulous upmarket fantasy novel. I'm going to have the privilege of interviewing the author, Katherine Howe, next week.
It's a story told in two times: 1692 and 1992 in and around Salem Massachusetts, that deals with the witch trials. In 1992, Connie Goodwin is going out for her PhD and she's trying to find a rare grimoire that might have belonged to an accused Salem witch. In 1692 that same witch must face the hysteria gripping the town.
Oh, Ivy@KnitSpirit.com and for anyone who wants to listen, the interview will go up in a few weeks at www.TheWritingCast.com
I am working on the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher. So far I've just finished the first and I'm about halfway through the second. I would classify them as Fantasy/Sci Fi/Mystery because its a detective who is a wizard, so he mostly investigates situations involving Warewolves, Vampires, etc.
Another reason to like it is the audio books are read by James Marsters (Spike from Buffy) though he speaks with an American accent.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society... I know that this is all the "rage" right now - but it really is a great book. I fell in love with the characters from Guernsey and London, and it really handled a terrifying time (the Nazi occupation of the Guernsey Islands) with grace and beauty without diminishing it at all.
I just finished The Beach Street Kitting Society and Yarn Club.
It a sweet story about life, starting over, relationships and of course knitting.
My favorite Young Adult series has been the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. Being YA they are fast fiction reads but I have found them to utterly suck me in. I loved mythology as a kid/teen and these bring me back as I try to remember the various lesser beings that show up.
Rav & Plurk: dragonfly7673, you have my email
I've recently discovered audibooks. Am in love!
I highly recommend the Sookie Stackhouse Southern Vampire Series. (These are the books on which the HBO series True Blood is based.
Am also listening to the Harry Potter books, read by Stephen Fry.
Still under the fantasy genre, my favourite author is Guy Gavriel Kay. I'll read anything he's written until the book is worn out. His first series, The Fionavar Tapestry, is a high fantasy triology.
I love the Falco mysteries by Lindsey Davis, and have been enjoying them all over again as dramatized audiobooks by the BBC. These are set in ancient Rome. Falco the informer is funny, satirical, a staunch Republican in the time of the Roman dictators, has a large family that gives him no end of trouble, and has the unfortunate aspiration to marry a senator's daughter. The dramatizations are fun - like going to see a play, and I can knit at the same time!
I have two books to recommend. The first is science fiction: The House of Suns, by Alastair Reynolds. Well-written, lots of interesting concepts, a mystery to solve, and ultimately very cosmic!
For mystery lovers I'll recommend Black Seconds by Karin Fossum. It's translated from Norwegian and the characters are quite intriguing.
I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo also and found it exciting and compelling. It's the sequel to The Girl Who Played with Fire, also highly recommended. Too bad Stieg Larsson died a few years ago, we'll only get to read one more of his books.
I've just finished a couple of audiobooks by Dianna Wynn Jones (YA/fantasy), and the reader, Jenny Sterlin is FANTASTIC! Love to free up my hands to knit while listening, and an excellent reader is a treat.
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. The book has all-around excellent writing and suspenseful storyline, falling into a historical fiction/intrigue category. I'm currently mid-The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy - just great fantasy writing and wonderful characters - you don't like any of them much to begin with but they keep revealing more about themselves.
Got it all, sex, torture, death magic redemption - and slyly humorous and observant. Can't recommend it too highly! Email on blogger!
I've just finished "The love of my life" by Louise Douglas. It falls under Romance, but lots of intrigue in it, and not a typical romance in that it's about a woman dealing with the death of her husband. I really enjoyed it though, a definate page turner!!!!
- Patrick Rothfuss' Name of the Wind (High fantasy)
- Glen Cook's Black Company series (Fantasy/War)
- Anything by Donald Westlake (Mystery)
- Gregory Frost's Fitcher's Brides (An adult retelling of the Bluebeard fairy tale[s])
- Jacquelyn Carey's Namaah series (High fantasy, but beware of fairly graphic sex and violence. Not tacky, but def. not just allusions, either.)
- D.M. Cornish's Monster Blood Tattoo series (Steampunk)
- Ken Schole's Lamentation (High Fantasy with a steampunk bent)
I'm looking for new stuff, too -- Rothfuss and George RR Martin are killing me with the waiting for the next volume in each of their respective series.
I just finally finished The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper. There are 5 books: Over Sea, Under Stone, The Dark is Rising, Greenwitch, The Grey King and Silver on the Tree. Some are Newberry Honor and Newberry Award winners, and if you missed these classics as a child/young adult, it's not too late! Any LotR or Arthurian saga fans will love them.
tappakdATdhecDOTscDOTgov
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. Quick read for over 500 pages. Set in Nazi Germany and told from Death's perspective. Death narrates this girls life in moments. Interesting narrative character, loved the central figure (the girl, the book thief).A great book,I believe in the dramatic fiction. This is a book many middle school's (7th & 8th grade) are reading.
Email annasleep@gmail.com
I just read Adopted Son. We just returned from a vacation in Virginia. After taking the driving tour at Yorktown, I was trying to figure out how a 21 year old becomes a major general. It was a readable book, which I don't always find in non-fiction and I did get some new info that I found quite interesting.
I just received the Outlander audiobook from the library and I'm looking forward to that.
tempeatvierckdotus
I'm currently rereading the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. I've finished The Eyre Affair and Lost in a Good Book. I think this must be my 6th or 7th time reading these books. They're kinda metafiction where the main character goes into some classic books to fix them. The whole series is absolutely hilarious and punny.
I'm currently reading/listening to "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. It is a very good read from "Death's" perspective and takes place around the second world war. Historical fiction and listed under young adult.
Although, as I'm looking up the author on Amazon I'm reminded of "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield, which was also a great read/listen. This would classify in the Literature & Fiction category. A ghost story in a way.
I have just finished Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper. It's a great book and brings insight into the lives of a blind cat and his ower. I highly recommend it and it's not just for cat lovers.
Corddrymum
I'll leave you two wonderful books to read:
1. The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama. Wonderful story of post-WWI japan and a Chinese boy's summer spent recuperating with his extended family.
2. The Sparrow (Sci-Fi) by Mary Doria Russell. Story about a mission to another planet in the not-too distant future. This book uses the technology and sci-fi aspect to really help along the story rather than being the basis. It's about how different cultures relate and how people past experiences and prejudices color observations and decisions. This book has a sequel that's as good as, if not better than the original.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It's a fantasy novel. Kvothe, the main charakter of the book, is driven by twin imperatives — his desire to learn the higher magic of naming and his need to discover as much as possible about the Chandrian, the demons of legend who murdered his family.
The writing style of Rothfuss is brilliant and it was a pleasure to read the book. Luckily it's the first book of a trilogy - sadly we have still to wait for the next two books...
Well I'd recommend the Aunt Dimity series by Nancy Atherton. It's a very cozy mystery series that doesn't involve murder. And there are descriptions of delicious food and recipes.
Another series I'd recommend is the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. It's a paranormal romance series with really lovable characters, including a very strong heroine who just exudes "girl power".
The Memory, Sorrow, & Thorn trilogy by Tad Williams. It contains The Dragonbone Chair, The Stone of Farewell, and To Green Angel Tower. The trilogy tells a journey style fantasy story of an average boy at first struggling to alter his miserable life as a slave like servant and in the process learning about himself and his world.
It is one of my favorite stories over ten years after reading it for the first time, partly cause it is well written and partly because it shows how even the most common person can become a hero.
I would heartily agree with the Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper, and with the recommendation for Diana Gabaldon's series, and add to that my recommendation for Sunshine, and Deerskin, both by Robin McKinley. Sunshine seems to be filed under 'Horror', and Deerskin under 'Fantasy'. Sunshine is a dark and very unusual vampire novel, in which both our heroine and the vampire are very outside of the norm. Deerskin is a retold fairytale for adults, with its own dark qualities, but on the whole both books are sensually written tales of growth and magic.
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