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Book Suggestions As I said before, I am a bookaholic. Most bookaholics are very happy if anyone takes an interest in their hobby. Most will offer book suggestions even if they are not asked. I am no different from the rest of my kind, so here are some book suggestions. They are all books that I have read and liked. Since I read books all the time, this page will probably change frequently and without warning. Titles marked with an asterisk (*) are ones that I think are especially great.
Fiction I am not a big plain-old fiction fan. I tend to read more genre fiction, so the pickings here are slim.
Robert Girardi -- (lovely prose, modern fiction) THE PIRATE'S DAUGHTER; *MADELEINE'S GHOST
L.M. Montgomery -- (lovely books for girls) any of the ANNE OF GREEN GABLES series; THE BLUE CASTLE
Mary Renault -- (Ancient Greece, historical fiction) *THE LAST OF THE WINE (my favorite of her books); THE KING MUST DIE; *FIRE FROM HEAVEN; MASK OF APOLLO
Mary Stewart -- (light, fluffy fiction) *TOUCH NOT THE CAT; THIS ROUGH MAGIC; and AIRS ABOVE THE GROUND
Miscellaneous Jared Diamond -- (history of everything) *GUNS, GERMS AND STEEL
Thomas Friedman -- (modern politics/history) FROM BEIRUT TO JERUSALEM (I read it in one night!)
Carol Gelles -- (cookbook) *1000 VEGETARIAN RECIPES (and I am not even a vegetarian)
Cynthia Heimel -- (humor, a bit dated) SEX TIPS FOR GIRLS
Mary Pipher -- (psychology) REVIVING OPHELIA
Science Fiction/Fantasy Science fiction is my first love. I started reading science fiction when I was about nine years old, and I haven't looked back since. I tend to prefer character-driven stories, rather than pseudo-technological treatises (boring) or really fluffy fantasy (silly). These are in alphabetical order by author's name.
Iain Banks -- PLAYER OF GAMES
David Brin -- *THE PRACTICE EFFECT (fantasy); *THE RIVER OF TIME and OTHERNESS (short stories); SUNDIVER; STARTIDE RISING; and *THE UPLIFT WAR (Uplift series)
Lois McMaster Bujold -- (everything written by her is at least very good, and frequently her books are wonderful) *SHARDS OF HONOR; *BARRAYAR; THE WARRIOR'S APPRENTICE; THE VOR GAME; *BORDERS OF INFINITY; CETAGANDA; ETHAN OF ATHOS; BROTHERS IN ARMS; *MIRROR DANCE; *MEMORY; *KOMARR; *A CIVIL CAMPAIGN. Two fantasies: THE SPIRIT RING; *THE CURSE OF CHALION. I am awaiting her next one eagerly.
Barry Hughart -- (fantasy) *THE BRIDGE OF BIRDS; I haven't read the next two in the series, because I can't find them
Ellen Kushner -- (just an amazing novel, all of the characters are a bit unpleasant, but I just couldn't help liking some of them) *SWORDSPOINT
Sharon Lee and Steve Miller -- (fabulous SF) PARTNERS IN NECESSITY (compilation of *CONFLICT OF HONORS; *AGENT OF CHANGE; and *CARPE DIEM)
Madeleine L'Engle -- (children's fantasy) *A WRINKLE IN TIME; *A WIND IN THE DOOR; and A SWIFTLY TILTING PLANET
Patricia McKillip -- (fantasy) THE RIDDLEMASTER OF HED; HEIR OF SEA AND FIRE; HARPIST IN THE WIND
Robin McKinley -- (early books good, didn't like her later ones) THE HERO AND THE CROWN; *THE BLUE SWORD; and *BEAUTY and SPINDLE'S END (2 different retellings of Beauty and the Beast)
Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle -- (classic hard SF) *THE MOTE IN GOD'S EYE and LUCIFER'S HAMMER
David Palmer -- (excellent first novel) *EMERGENCE
H. Beam Piper -- *LITTLE FUZZY; FUZZY SAPIENS; FUZZIES AND OTHER PEOPLE; *PARATIME; and LORD KALVAN OF OTHERWHEN
Tim Powers -- (bizarre, unusual fantasy that is engrossing) *LAST CALL (you'll never look at poker the same way again); THE ANUBIS GATES
J.K. Rowling -- (children's fantasy for adults) *HARRY POTTER AND THE SCORCERER'S STONE; HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS; HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN; *HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE (yes, I like them despite their commercial success!)
Megan Whalen Turner -- (YA fantasy) *THE THIEF; *THE QUEEN OF ATTOLIA
Vernor Vinge -- (Doug made me read them; totally awesome) *A FIRE UPON THE DEEP; *A DEEPNESS IN THE SKY
Connie Willis -- (solid SF that can be fun) TO SAY NOTHING OF THE DOG (won the 1999 Hugo award); THE DOOMSDAY BOOK; *BELLWETHER
Patricia Wrede -- (Regency romance meets fantasy/magic and it actually works!) *MAIRELON THE MAGICIAN; THE MAGICIAN'S WARD
Mysteries Currently, I am reading a lot more mysteries than science fiction. I especially enjoy mysteries with interesting or strong characters. And I really like it if I can't figure out the ending ahead of time.
Historical
Bruce Alexander -- (Victorian) BLIND JUSTICE; MURDER IN GRUB STREET
Mike Ashley (ed.)-- (great short stories, a great way to find new authors, more collections than these, but they are not as good) *THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF HISTORICAL WHODUNNITS; *THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF HISTORICAL DETECTIVES
Laurie King -- (Sherlock Holmes meets a girl) THE BEEKEEPER'S APPRENTICE; A MONSTROUS REGIMENT OF WOMEN; *A LETTER OF MARY; THE MOOR; O JERUSALEM
Maan Meyers -- (various, all old NYC) *THE DUTCHMAN; THE DUTCHMAN'S DILEMMA; *THE KINGSBRIDGE PLOT; THE HIGH CONSTABLE; THE HOUSE ON MULBERRY STREET
Sharan Newman -- (France, 1100's; wonderful series) *DEATH COMES AS EPIPHANY; THE DEVIL'S DOOR; *THE WANDERING ARM; *STRONG AS DEATH; CURSED IN THE BLOOD; THE DIFFICULT SAINT; TO WEAR THE WHITE CLOAK
Robin Paige -- (Victorian) *DEATH AT BISHOP'S KEEP; DEATH AT GALLOWS GREEN; DEATH AT DAISY'S FOLLY; DEATH AT ROTTINGDEAN
Sharon Kay Penman -- (Britain 1200's) *THE QUEEN'S MAN; CRUEL AS THE GRAVE
Candace Robb -- (Britain 1400's) *THE APOTHECARY ROSE (later ones so-so)
Lynda Robinson -- (Ancient Egypt, King Tut) *MURDER AT THE PLACE OF ANUBIS; MURDER AT THE GOD'S GATE; *MURDER AT THE FEAST OF REJOICING; EATER OF SOULS; DRINKER OF BLOOD
Kate Ross -- (Regency) *CUT TO THE QUICK; *A BROKEN VESSEL; *WHOM THE GODS LOVE; THE DEVIL IN MUSIC (I am so sorry that there will be no more books from this talented author)
Kate Sedley -- (Richard III, later ones so-so) DEATH AND THE CHAPMAN; THE PLYMOUTH CLOAK
Josephine Tey -- (Richard III, who killed the princes?) *THE DAUGHTER OF TIME
Twentieth Century E. C. Bentley -- (classic) TRENT'S LAST CASE
Dorothy Cannell -- (a hilarious romantic mystery that works) THE THIN WOMAN
Deborah Crombie -- (modern-day British police mystery with great characters) A SHARE IN DEATH; ALL SHALL BE WELL; LEAVE THE GRAVE GREEN; *DREAMING OF THE BONES; *KISSED A SAD GOODBYE; A FINER END
Laura Frankos -- (more archaeology stuff) ST. OSWALD'S NICHE
Aaron Elkins -- (choose between his series with an anthropologist, an art historian, or a pro golfer) *OLD BONES; CURSES; *MAKE NO BONES; A DECEPTIVE CLARITY; *OLD SCORES (plus many others, each one is at least good)
Martha Grimes -- (odd minor characters and major characters that I'd love to meet) *THE MAN WITH A LOAD OF MISCHIEF, THE OLD FOX DECEIV'D; *THE ANODYNE NECKLACE
Kathryn Lasky Knight -- (frequently sad, have great characters) TRACE ELEMENTS; MUMBO JUMBO; and MORTAL WORDS
Philip MacDonald -- THE RASP and *THE LIST OF ADRIAN MESSENGER (book was better than the movie)
Ngaio Marsh -- (fluffy but fun)A MAN LAY DEAD; DEATH OF A PEER; DEATH IN A WHITE TIE; A WREATH FOR RIVERA; HAND IN GLOVE (among others)
A.A. Milne -- (not as good as Winnie-the-Pooh, but...) THE RED HOUSE MYSTERY
Janet Neel -- *DEATH'S BRIGHT ANGEL; DEATH ON SITE; DEATH OF A PARTNER; *DEATH AMONG THE DONS; A TIMELY DEATH
E. Phillips Oppenheim -- (you never find out the true answer until the very end) THE GREAT IMPERSONATION
R.D. Rosen -- (Providence, RI and baseball) STRIKE THREE, YOU'RE DEAD
Dorothy L. Sayers -- (more than any other fictional character, I'd like to have coffee with Lord Peter Wimsey) WHOSE BODY?; HAVE HIS CARCASE; *MURDER MUST ADVERTISE; *THE NINE TAILORS; *GAUDY NIGHT; BUSMAN'S HONEYMOON
Edith Skom -- (academic, sort of) THE MARK TWAIN MURDERS and *THE GEORGE ELIOT MURDERS
Back to Books Last updated: 09/03/00
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