Books are expensive here so I always appreciate suggestions of good novels. I love detective novels, but willingly read almost anything if it's well written. If you have any suggestions for my reading list, please let me know. Also, see Bookcrossing.com for ways to spread books around.
Created January 31, 2007, Updated November 5, 2007
Alistair MacLean's novels took up a lot of space in my mother's book closet. They take up a big space in my heart too. This is one of my favourites. It's about a man who loses everything. He becomes a criminal and kidnaps a millionaire's daughter from the courtroom that he is being tried in, and then is forced to help even worse men find something at the bottom of the ocean. However, John Talbot is not what he seems to be.... This novel is a thrill ride and it doesn't get much more exciting than this. The action comes to a head on an offshore oil rig in the middle of a hurricane... The only thing that has aged in this novel is the technology. Worth reading if you like action adventure novels.
Artemis Fowl, the master criminal with an IQ off the charts, is in trouble again. In this novel he is 13 and has decided to make a deal with the mob using Fairy technology. It all goes horribly wrong and Artemis must work with the Fairies to keep the technology out of the wrong hands.
It's an amusing read, but it doesn't have the depth of the Harry Potter books for example. I never was able to forget that I was reading a children's novel. It probably is the best one of the Artemis books that I've read.
The life story (so far) of Daniel Tammet, a high functioning Autistic savant. He's started his own business, become romantically involved, and has appeared on the David Letterman Show. He can learn new languages very quickly, but can't drive a car. He wrote his autobiography to help people learn about Autism.
This book is well written, although it does get boring at times when Daniel starts talking about math. For him, mathematics are beautiful, for me, boring! The information about people with Autism is very interesting. I think of this novel as a companion to The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night Time. A fast read.
The sequel to Eragon has two major focuses. Eragon and Saphira's training and Roran's maturation. This novel works and is much more polished than Eragon. Paolini has grown as an author. The story moves at a quick pace, keeping the reader coming back for more.
It's a little derivative of other fantasy stories, but nonetheless, quite enjoyable. I"m waiting for the third installment of Inheritance.
There's a research laboratory in Northern Scotland that it trying to find the cure for many deadly viruses. The lab, nicknamed "The Kremlin" has a new head of security, Toni Gallo and she's worried. There are some vials missing, and a staff member hasn't been seen for days. That little problem is resolved in the first 30 pages or so, but it's just the beginning for Toni.
This is a great read, the story moves at a fast pace and the story is frighteningly believable. Well written characters, believable plot, the perfect action novel from Ken Follett. If the story piques your interest, give it a try.
Stephanie and the gang are back with another zany adventure. In this one, Ranger has been accused of kidnapping his daughter and it's up to Stephanie to discover what's really going on. There's also a woman claiming to be Ranger's wife, following her around to get her husband back.
Lulu joins Sally's band, and then so does Grandma, and then things become really funny. There are viewings at the funeral home, complete with concert, and Stephanie has a stunning time of it.
Fans'll love this one, it's fast paced and funny. Good for plane rides or light reading.
Dunning makes a successful foray into Dick Francis territory with a novel that blends a love of books with a love of horses. Cliff Janeway, ex-cop and bookman, is asked to appraise the books of a woman who died 20 years ago. He tries, but soon finds himself up to his neck in horses and murders.
As always, this is a very well written novel where the love of books, and horses this time too, really shines through. A great read. Easy to pick up, hard to put down.
Odd Thomas is the kind of man whom trouble finds, even in a monastery! After Forever Odd, the character went to a retreat to find peace. However, Elvis is still with him, and now there are some strange things happening in the first snowstorm of the year.
There are interesting characters as always in this novel, and hopefully they will show up in any future Odd Thomas stories. Dean Koontz was on his soapbox for a lot of this novel, but just when I thought he was going to wreck the story with his pontificating, he pulled back, saving the story.
For Koontz fans, and people liking a bit of supernatural in their stories. A good quick read.
The second part of Patterson's Maximum Ride novels takes the flock to school. They are forced to reveal themselves to the government, and then are "adopted" and go to school. It's an interesting idea. Put 6 mutant children in a school and see what happens. Of course, it doesn't last for long because the Erasers show up again....
Quite fun novel for the teen set (and older if you like this sort of thing) Max is an intriguing person, and her growing pangs are almost as interesting as the events in this novel.I'm looking forward to the end of the trilogy.
A collection of short stories from one of the leading female writers at the moment. They are a varied bunch, some feature characters from her novels, some have been published in magazines, but they all have the Weiner touch. You never quite know what is going to happen. A great read. Easy to pick up, but hard to put down.
The last novel in the Tiger and Del series is quite a pleasant diversion. This is a sword and sorcerer type of novel about two sword masters and their relationship with each other and the world around them. It's a fun quick read, but for people new to the genre, start at the beginning. I've missed a few of the novels, but always enjoyed the ones I read.
I took my time reading this novel and I enjoyed every minute of it. The wait was worth it, and the ending doesn't disappoint. After I finished reading the last page, I closed the book and hugged it for a while. I didn't want to leave the world of Magic behind.
A friend gifted me with this last year, and I kept putting off reading it. I wished I'd read it sooner. It was great. Margaret Atwood is Canadian and unfortunately, I've been such a snob about Canadian lit for years. I avoided studying it in Uni, and I tried hard not to read anything written by a Canadian since L.M.Montgomery. Well, fortunately, I did read Margaret Atwood...then Carol Shields...but Can-Lit is still not my first choice. Sigh.
This story is a story within a story within a story. There are three plotlines going at once, but it's never confusing as they are all told with different voices. An elderly lady writes her memoirs, and gradually we see the connections between the stories.
It's a great read. Margaret Atwood is a great novelist, Canadian or not, and should be read on that basis alone. Excellent novel
This is the second book that I've read by this author with these characters. I'm not sure if I'm going to look for any of the others. The reason? The detective, Kathy Mallory. She's a sociopath, and other police officers know that and cover it up. The novel spends the entire time talking about how good her instincts are, and what an amazing person she is, but spends much less time showing us. After reading this one, I felt the same as I did after the first one I read, I liked the "supporting" characters more than the "star".
The story of this novel is quite good. We are introduced to a woman with a hunchback who cleans up murder sites. Her boss is a police officer on medical leave, and he starts to develop feeling for her. However, she has a secret... There's also a "shock jock" who was found not guilty of murder...his crazy production assistant and a serial killer. It comes together rather well, so the actual story is very interesting, but the lead character is not successful in my mind.
It's okay, worth a read if there's nothing more interesting in sight. Okay for planes.
This novel has been "hanging around" my apartment for a year or more, and I just never picked it up. I'm almost glad I waited, because it was so interesting. Tan usually writes about Chinese characters, and she does in this novel too, with a slight difference. She writes about a large group of tourists who go to Burma (or Myanmar) and anger the Nats. Nats are spirits that the people believe bring bad luck. This group of tourists certainly meet with bad luck. Before they even leave America, their tour leader dies in a strange way.
When they arrive in Asia, they suffer from a run of bad luck. They get sick in nasty ways, and the majority of the group is kidnapped by a primitive tribe. It sounds ludicrous, but Tan makes it work, and makes the reader care for the tribe and the annoying tourists alike.
As always, Tan writes with love for her characters, and brings this unusual story to life. It's funny, sad, and poignant. Definitely worth reading. I loved it.
Patricia Cornwell....what has happened to you? Your last few novels felt like you had been phoning them in from a car phone, but this last one wasn't even that good. Oh, it's written competently enough, but it's not gripping, not interesting and I really couldn't give a hoot about the characters.
A DA decides to re-open a 20 year old crime to inaugurate her new crime solving department. Lots of things happen. Most of them bad. Bleh.
This is the second book I've read this month by two of my favourite authors. One was wonderful, so good I quoted a passage from it on my blog. One was not that good. Guess which one was not so good? Hardcore fans or completists only. Sigh. Very disappointing.
Finally, the master returns! Dick Francis writes his first novel in 6 years and it's a rapid page-turner, the kind of novel that you don't want to end but you sort of do because you NEED to know what happened and whodunnit.
Sid Halley, ex-jockey (like Francis himself) has a good life. He's in a loving relationship, he has money and a certain amount of fame. He is at a racetrack one day that has 3 deaths, and only one of them is of a horse. Sid is asked to find out who killed the jockey and why. This task leads him and his friends into danger.
A fun, interesting, and exciting read. Fans should not miss this one.
A novel about women in London after and during the Second World war. This novel is told backwards. It's actually one that cries out to be re-read now that I know how it begins, I need to see how it ends! Quite different from Water's other novels in that it seems realistic. Good characters, and gripping plotlines. Well worth a look.
A disappointing novel from a usually strong writer. While I liked the characters in this story, the story was just too preposterous, and coming from an author who writes about aliens, talking dogs and things that go bump in the night, that's saying a lot. The hero Mitch, must arrange a ransom for his beloved wife Holly. He needs to get 2 million dollars in 60 hours. Just didn't like this one. It's too much like his other books. Can be missed quite safely.
Note to Mr. Koontz....please hurry up and finish the Frankenstein trilogy! Don't waste your time with this stuff until you do!
The fourth novel in the series by McCall Smith sees Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni recover from his depression and Mma Makutsi(who scored a 97% in her final examinations at business college) open a business. More wonderful characters from Botswana, mixed with a simple view of life. A refreshing read. Good fun.
Two women, eight hundred years apart, try to prevent ancient secrets from falling into the wrong hands. Has shades of The DaVinci Code in it, but thankfully is much better written, and is mostly told from a woman's point of view. Quite enjoyable, although now that I've read it, I don't remember very much of it at all. Worth a look if 13th century French history is your thing.
Cliff Janeway is asked by his girlfriend to help investigate the murder of her ex-boyfriend. The suspect? Her ex-best friend. There's a lot of story here, but it's so well written that it is very hard to put down. There are some great characters in this novel and the fact that Cliff Janeway is very knowledgeable about books is hard to resist. Very enjoyable novel.
Two ex-lovers reluctantly team up to find a serial killer. A quite good and engaging thriller. I enjoyed it.
A serial killer in London is targetting young boys, and Inspecter Lynley and Constable Havers are on the trail. I've been reading this series for years, and quite honestly can say, this is the best one so far. There is an event in the last third of the novel which comes out of nowhere and is so shocking, yet true to life that I'm still reeling from it. These are characters which we have grown to love (if you have read the whole series) and admire. These are real people, their triumphs and pain are the same as ours. Great stuff. Cracking read. Highly, highly recommended.
The funny and sometimes unbelieveable true story of an American Flight Attendant. People are interesting, but when they are faced with a two to three hour flight they just get plain weird. I have newfound respect for flight attendants now. Good light reading.
Cliff Janeway, ex-cop and bookman, agrees to pick up a woman accused of stealing a book. He soon becomes entangled in a web of murder and deceit. This is a great detective series, and the book angle makes it just a little different.
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