Book Recommendations Needed!

[qos]

Help!

I'm a bibliophile facing two cross-country flights and hours on a tropical beach and I have no book(s) to take with me!

My current preferences lean toward historical fiction and fantasy/SF.

I love character-driven stories I can sink my teeth into.

Please make recommendations! Make lots of them!

Comments

[tx-cronopio.livejournal.com]

If you haven't read Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth, it's a great airplane book!

[qos.livejournal.com]

I know it's very popular right now, but I read it years ago and didn't enjoy it.

But thanks for the suggestion!

[qos.livejournal.com]

Loved it and the sequel!

[strandsofchaos.livejournal.com]

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, by Susannah Clarke.

800 pages of pure magic, that reads like 600 pages and leaves readers invariably asking for more...

[qos.livejournal.com]

I read 100 or so pages of it and just couldn't go any further. :-(

[strandsofchaos.livejournal.com]

It's intentionally rough and terribly dry for the first 150 pages or so. By the time you hit the 200-225 mark, you'll realize that you're just flying through the pages.

She does that on purpose; showing the dry, monochrome, banal world, and becoming more flowing and beautiful as magic begins to permeate the story. Well worth picking up again, if you're looking for a fun adventure.

[qos.livejournal.com]

I hadn't heard that before -- although I know lots of people just rave about it. Thanks!

How are things, btw?

[strandsofchaos.livejournal.com]

Interesting--very interesting. Probably something best discussed out of LJ, though. A lot of it's my whiny emo stuff, and I don't want to load up your journal with my quasiwoes. =D

E-mail coming up in the next few minutes.

[blessed-harlot.livejournal.com]

This is an older book that Gabe has tried to get me to read for a while - Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson. I'm about 100 pages in, and it's delightful.

[qos.livejournal.com]

That's one I've seen around forever but never picked up. I'll take a second look.

Can you elaborate on what you like about it?

[blessed-harlot.livejournal.com]

So far, I've seen an inventive futuristic world with some sparkling character interactions (and social commentary). I've met two primary characters, become invested in them, seen their lives randomly intersect and go off in separate directions, and I don't know how (or if) they will meet again. One of them is a female character that I am especially looking forward to seeing again. It opens with some great action sequences, then things slow down and you can more clearly see a story with a lot of intelligence in it so far. I've also seen the beginnings of the main plot device, a fascinating mystery that will continue to unfold.

It's quite a humorously told tale. And, the first couple pages hooked me. Being short on attention span, I appreciate that in a book.

Stephenson wrote this in 1992 (I think), and the book's action is reliant on something akin to internet technology, so the intersection of what is now possible online, and what is still unfolding is fun to see. Also, real life and virtual life blend in the book; with all my fascination at how my real life and virtual life merge, I'm enjoying exploring a space like that.

[rachel-y.livejournal.com]

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. 1st book in a series.

The story opens in 1945 with Claire (protaganist) embarking on a 2nd honeymoon to Scotland with husband Frank (they have been separated by the war--she was a nurse, he was RAF). She visits a circle of standing stones and gets transported back in time to the 1740s, smack in the middle of some British army/Scottish highlander tension. I can not say enough good things about this book (I've enjoyed the entire series); Gabaldon creates compelling, consistent characters and a rollicking good plot.

I think you would enjoy this book.

[qos.livejournal.com]

Outlander is one of those books I've long regarded with a certain degree of wariness. I know how popular it is (the whole series), but I tend to dislike time-travel books.

I should probably at least pick it up and page through it at more length than I have.

Thanks!

[heron61.livejournal.com]

Kage Baker's "Company" novels (starting with Garden of Iden) [excellent time traveling SF]
Dark of the Gods (this is two novels in one, the first was alternately published as Godstalk) by P.C. Hodgell [impressive and unique fantasy, my favorite fantasy novels]
Kage Baker's Anvil of the World [quirky and enjoyable fantasy]
Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds [intense, character-focused SF]
Daughter of Hounds by Caitlin R. Kiernan [dark fantasy, almost horror, *amazing*]
The Steerswoman's Road by Rosemary Kirstin (wonderfully character-focused hard SF written like a fantasy novel, unique and amazing)
Golden Witchbreed by Mary Gentle (impressive SF, far more than it initially seems)
Sunshine by Robin McKinley [my favorite of her many wonderful novels, urban fantasy in an alternate present where the supernatural is present and an known part of society]
Newton's Wake by Ken MacLeod [marvelous and well done SF romp]
Evolution's Shore by Ian McDonald [an amazing work by an excellent author, impressive near future SF involving utterly unique and fascinating alien contact]. Take along the sequel Kirinya, it's even better.

[qos.livejournal.com]

Thank-you!

I'll check these out.

[lupagreenwolf.livejournal.com]

Anything by Storm Constantine. The first Wraeththu trilogy is a great place to start.

For historical fiction, "The Lightbearer" by Donna Gillespie is excellent.

[lupagreenwolf.livejournal.com]

Also, check out the fiction category at Pagan Book Reviews

[qos.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

I actually read the Wraethu trilogy on the very long train trip to and from Disneyland two years ago. I really enjoyed the first book, but it got less enjoyable as it went on.

I read The Light Bearer years ago, when it first came out, and liked it very much!

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

Have you read any of the Dark Hunter series? labyrinthnight raves about them.

[qos.livejournal.com]

I looked them up after I read your comment.

These looked like primary romance novels, which I have a hard time dealing with these days.

But I've seen them around and am aware of how popular they are.

I appreciate the suggestion!

[wlotus.livejournal.com]

I haven't read them, so I wasn't aware they are primarily romance. (That also means I won't be reading them, as I don't deal well with romances. ::grins::)

I hope you enjoy your trip. Soak in some sun for me, please.

[wendy-lady.livejournal.com]

The Books of Great Alta

Fantastic read with story, history, and prose!

(Sorry, I can't remember the author.)

[qos.livejournal.com]

I hadn't heard of these. Thanks!

[rocket-jockey.livejournal.com]

From the look of things, these are probably superfluous, but what the heck:

Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn. Swords-and-sorcery in a world very much like feudal Japan.

The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde. Detective Chief Inspector Jack Spratt is trying to unravel circumstances around the death of Humpty Dumpty - con man, philanderer, and generally bad egg.

[qos.livejournal.com]

I've passed on Nightengale Floor, but Over Easy looks like fun.

Have you read The Vesuvius Club? Highly recommended!

[rin-x-x.livejournal.com]

Kushiel's Legacy series by Jacqueline Carey (There are five out currently)

Big, thick, and full of trechery and romance. And it definately doesn't fall under chick lit or romance paperbacks. Awesome series. :) And it has some bdsm!

[qos.livejournal.com]

I'm a big fan of the Kushiel series and have already pre-ordered the new book, which comes out in a few weeks.

But thanks! Your recommendation was spot on!

Have you read Ann Bishop's Black Jewels series?

ideas

[(Anonymous)]

If you want to take a look at my blog, www.booksandpaper.blogspot.com you can look through what I have been reading.