Book Recommendations

[Hightower]

Ok, so to give my new Kindle a run for its money I need some recommendations for books to read on holiday. I don't mean "Introducing Server 2008 R2" or "Restful PHP", but more along the lines of a great fictional story.

 

I enjoy Dan Brown books, and books of that style. Action/Thriller's or even a little bit of Sci-fi. I'm not even looking for obscure recommendations - tell me something that you love that I might like, even if there's a good chance I've already read it. Oh, I also enjoy Chris Ryan/Andy McNab books, but haven't read many of them - so any recommendations on these too.

 

Ta muchly

[MK-2]

from my facebook profile of books i like:

 

The Art of War

Bangers and Mash

Meg and Mog

War and Peace

The Beano Annual 1987

 

 

[Gibson335]

David Baldacci and Linwood Barclay are decent thriller/action writers. Do you like police procedurals/crime novels?

[jinnantonnixx]

The Devil's Teardrop by Jeffrey Deaver. I think Deaver's writing the new James Bond plot.

 

Also Watership Down. It's a classic, often mistakenly thought of as a book for childen.

Edited April 13, 2011 by jinnantonnixx

[bossman]

Patricia Cornwell has a great collection, Stieg Larsson has a great trilogy out, Kathy Reichs is another along the Cornwell route.

 

I always enjoyed science fantasy along the lines of Anne McCaffrey who wrote about the dragon worlds, good imaginative reading.

 

Just ordered 8 books from Amazon on Vietnam (true stories) to read on my hols in the Caribbean

 

There are lots more, but alongside the reading I also enjoy someone telling the story to me so have 100s of audio books too.

[TechMonkey]

Lee Child's Reacher series are my brain dead read of choice. Good mystery and plenty of descriptive violence. The books aren't specifically linked in series but there are some loose themes running through them so start at the beginning.

"Eight Lives Down" by Chris Hunter was a very good read. Bomb disposal expert in Iraq.

"Sniper One" by Dan Mills was also an excellent read.

Following a bit of a theme if you are into the SAS, "Ghost Force" by Ken Connor is an excellent history that links in with the world politics of the times.

Andy McNab - Didn't like his Nick Stone stories, the actual stories were good but the overarching storyline was so depressing I just had to stop. His book, "Seven Troop" was excellent though especially as I have read other biographies that linked in with his.

 

Really enjoying Daniel Silva books at the moment, though I have no idea what order they meant to be in but just finished "The Kill Artist" and "The Mark Of The Assassin" & really enjoyed them both. Weaves a good yarn.

 

Terry Pratchett is always a fav of mine, especially the City Watch books. His "Good Omens" done with Neil Gaiman is also brilliant.

Neal Stephenson does a good line of tech/maths fiction. "Snow Crash" is just brilliant, "Diamond Age" is a lovely tale but can get a bit confusing if you don't pay attention and "Cryptonomicon" if you want some hardcore reading with added mathematics, history and technology.

 

Should do you for starters.

[HallX]

Anything by Stephen King, Ian Fleming or Freddy Forsythe (not Bruce) :-)

[MK-2]

Anything by Freddy Forsythe (not Bruce) :-)

 

Why, what's wrong with Freddy Bruce?!??!??!?

 

 

What about the Dark Tower collection. Or for a good long read but well worth it, Stephen Kings The Stand.

[ljlbray]

If you like the action ones, the Robert Ludlum books might be up your street (Author of the books behind the Bourne films).

[Hightower]

War and Peace

 

Saving that for my death bed

 

David Baldacci and Linwood Barclay are decent thriller/action writers. Do you like police procedurals/crime novels?

 

I think I could read them, but I'm more into tales of war, and religion. As somebody who believes in the big fella upstairs I really like reading about religion - in the Dan Brown/Steve Berry perspective.

 

Stieg Larsson has a great trilogy out

 

I bought the missus "the girl who kicked the hornets nest" for xmas, but at the time I never realised that it was best to read them in order. I now have that trilogy on my Kindle (downloaded last night) so should make for some good reading in the June half term

 

Lee Child's Reacher series are my brain dead read of choice. Good mystery and plenty of descriptive violence. The books aren't specifically linked in series but there are some loose themes running through them so start at the beginning.

"Eight Lives Down" by Chris Hunter was a very good read. Bomb disposal expert in Iraq.

"Sniper One" by Dan Mills was also an excellent read.

Following a bit of a theme if you are into the SAS, "Ghost Force" by Ken Connor is an excellent history that links in with the world politics of the times.

Andy McNab - Didn't like his Nick Stone stories, the actual stories were good but the overarching storyline was so depressing I just had to stop. His book, "Seven Troop" was excellent though especially as I have read other biographies that linked in with his.

 

Really enjoying Daniel Silva books at the moment, though I have no idea what order they meant to be in but just finished "The Kill Artist" and "The Mark Of The Assassin" & really enjoyed them both. Weaves a good yarn.

 

Terry Pratchett is always a fav of mine, especially the City Watch books. His "Good Omens" done with Neil Gaiman is also brilliant.

Neal Stephenson does a good line of tech/maths fiction. "Snow Crash" is just brilliant, "Diamond Age" is a lovely tale but can get a bit confusing if you don't pay attention and "Cryptonomicon" if you want some hardcore reading with added mathematics, history and technology.

 

Should do you for starters.

 

Wow - just the kind of books I was looking for. I started reading Sniper One by Dan Mills, so shall have to get my hands on a Kindle copy.

 

Anything by Stephen King, Ian Fleming or Freddy Forsythe (not Bruce) :-)

 

Not really a fan of Stephen King - granted, I haven't read his works but have seen a couple of the movies that come from his books and it's not my cup of tea - he's more towards horror than thriller right?

[dhicks]

Ok, so to give my new Kindle a run for its money I need some recommendations for books to read on holiday.

 

I'm currently working my way through Jasper Fforde's back catalouge - books about characters who live in a world populated by book characters (or, in the case of the most recent one, books about book characters who live in a world populated by characters being characters out of books...). Daft, but fun. I can particularly recommend The Big Over Easy - a police-procedural book dealing with who bumped off Humpty Dumpty (did he jump, or was he pushed?). It's a daft, fun book that actually works as a proper crime novel, too.

[Hightower]

What about the Dark Tower collection.

 

That too is on my Kindle, but only because it was part of a 'set of books' I downloaded - not sure what it's about but will give it a look.

 

If you like the action ones, the Robert Ludlum books might be up your street (Author of the books behind the Bourne films).

 

Also got these on some of his works on already so will give him a look

[LiamH]

I like Chris Ryan / Andy Mcnab books. Would recommend Sniper one by Sgt. Dan Mills Its a true story regarding a British battle-group under siege.

 

I also like Stephen E. Ambrose's books, Band of Brothers / Pegasus bridge.

 

Read all of Dan Brown's books as well, he has a newish one out called the lost symbol. Sam Bourne's books are along the same line.

 

And recently i have been reading a trilogy the traveler / the dark river / golden city. They were good enough to get me to buy all 3 but if you just get the first be warned it stops quite abruptly.

[superfletch]

I too like the Dan Brown series and the McNab / Ryan Thriller type books.

 

If you haven't read Andy McNabs Immediate Action you'll probably like that (it's non fiction but a great read).

 

My wife reads a tremendous amount and she has put me onto a few different authors recently, I agree with others that Stephen King is definately worth a go she's had me reading a few of his books - I particularly enjoyed "Pet Sematary" and "Rose Madder".

 

I'd also recommend Jeffery Deaver's "The Blue Nowhere" - I loved it, and Lincoln Child's "Utopia".

Edited April 13, 2011 by superfletch

[Andrew_C]

+1 for Fford. They really are very witty and readable.

 

John LeCarre. Worth reading the Smiley stories in the proper order, not starting with the televised books.

[TechMonkey]

I think I could read them, but I'm more into tales of war, and religion. As somebody who believes in the big fella upstairs I really like reading about religion - in the Dan Brown/Steve Berry perspective.

 

Ohhh then definitely add "Baptism of Fire" by Frank Collins. Best of both worlds.

[Bromcom_John]

I know you didn't mention fantasy in your list but, as you did mention war stories, I would heartily reccomend the "A song of Ice and Fire" series by George R R Martin.

ALthough it is about to be broadcast as a tv series (next Monday if you have Sky) so you might want to watch it rather than read it

[teejay]

For your religious side:

The Shack (in fact that's a good read for anyone)

The Left Behind Series (as long as you don't take them seriously, they're a bit 'american evangelical' but good as action fiction)

 

Others:

The Shadow Of The Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Soul Identity by Dennis Batchelder (free on kindle)

[HallX]

Not really a fan of Stephen King - granted, I haven't read his works but have seen a couple of the movies that come from his books and it's not my cup of tea - he's more towards horror than thriller right?

 

The films dont even come close, the guy has a very unique writing style & its not something I've seen replicated. Do yourself a favour and try one of his later works ie Duma Key, Under the Dome, Liseys Story or my favourite, Black House.

 

His short stories are very good too ie Four Past Midnight & Just After Sunset.

[TechMonkey]

For your religious side:

The Shack (in fact that's a good read for anyone)

 

+1 very nicely written.

[teejay]

Ohhh then definitely add "Baptism of Fire" by Frank Collins. Best of both worlds.

 

It's not on Kindle.

[TechMonkey]

It's not on Kindle.

 

Ahh, be careful with all my recommendations then. I haven't checked for Kindleness.

[Hightower]

The films dont even come close, the guy has a very unique writing style & its not something I've seen replicated. Do yourself a favour and try one of his later works ie Duma Key, Under the Dome, Liseys Story or my favourite, Black House.

 

His short stories are very good too ie Four Past Midnight & Just After Sunset.

 

It's not that I don't like his films, it's that I thought Stepehen King was a horror writer, and horror isn't my cup of tea.

[pooley]

Also Watership Down. It's a classic, often mistakenly thought of as a book for childen.

 

If you like that, try the Duncton Wood series

[Bromcom_John]

If you like that, try the Duncton Wood series

 

Good choice, that one also ticks the "religion" box, although not Judeo Christian obviously.. but seek the silence and the word! and be a good honest scribe mole!