OT: Book suggestions for good read.

TigerTony

I got away from reading over the last few months and I'm looking for some suggestions.

I've read all the Lee Child / Jack Reacher novels (some of them twice) and really enjoyed reading them. Particularly the fact that it's a series with a recurring character. And they moved along quick and made for easy reading. I'm looking for another series to get into.

I also enjoy true life stories and bios. I recently read Mike Tyson The Undisputed Truth and found it extremely entertaining. I loved Lone Survivor and the book The Ice Master was incredible.

I tried to read Unbroken the WWII survival story, but I found it to be a very difficult read. Took me forever . I'm not a fast reader.

Anyway, I look forward to your suggestions.

Thanks!

YEMTrey

I'm working my way through, Gregg Allman-My Cross To Bear

I'm a huge ABB fan so it's a great, very enjoyable read for me.

theyolksonyou

James Patterson Alex Cross series or other series, Clive Cussler has about 3 different series, Randy Wayne White Alex Ford series,Jeffery Deaver Lincoln Rymes series, Jonathan Kellerman or Faye Kellerman, Google Harry Bosch for author can't remember, CJ Box for western mystery(better than it sounds)

if you need more, hit me up. We keep the local library in business...

theyolksonyou

Vince Flynn, Tom Clancy (wordy) Dean Koontz (different), Carl Hiaasan (absolutely hilarious me user mystery, may have misspelled). Also Dexter series from TV, can't remember author.

TigerTony

@YEMTrey -- Man and I glad you took the time to comment and suggest. I had no idea that Gregg Allman wrote a book. I'm a huge ABB fan myself. In fact I'd say that The Allman Brother Live at Filmore East album is my all-time favorite. To this day those songs bring me right back to my young years in the early 70's, Best times of my life. I saw them live several times at The Wharehouse here in N.O. in the early 70's.

Love Dickey Betts and the Great Southern I listen to them everyday. The Great Southerns version of Elizabeth Reed is awesome good.

Thanks man! I'm gonna order it on my Nook right now.

TigerTony

@theyolksonyou -- seems like the James Patterson / Alex Cross novels might interest me. I like the fact that they are narrated in the first-person. I find that is always easier for me to follow. I guess I should read them in order right? Although with the Lee Child / Reacher series you don't have to.

Thanks for suggesting!

theyolksonyou

You really don't have to. I started with kiss the girls and I was hook from there. I don't know if I've read everything he's written, but I'm damned close.

Jeremiah

I've just started this.

Botch

TigerTony said:

I'm a huge ABB fan myself. In fact I'd say that The Allman Brother Live at Filmore East album is my all-time favorite. To this day those songs bring me right back to my young years in the early 70's, Best times of my life. 

 

That album is out in 5.1 Surround Sound (can't remember if its SACD or DVD-A), if you have the system, Highly Recommended!  

 

I'm working my way through Malcom Gladwell's books, very interesting to me.  

YEMTrey

Botch said:

TigerTony said:

I'm a huge ABB fan myself. In fact I'd say that The Allman Brother Live at Filmore East album is my all-time favorite. To this day those songs bring me right back to my young years in the early 70's, Best times of my life. 

 

That album is out in 5.1 Surround Sound (can't remember if its SACD or DVD-A), if you have the system, Highly Recommended!  

 

I'm working my way through Malcom Gladwell's books, very interesting to me.  

It's available in DVD-A.  And it's a six disc set that has every song from that week at the Fillmore. It's very good. 

@TigerTony, here's a link that has a stream of one of the Warehouse, NO, shows. 

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/29877385/71-09-16.mp3

wbradking

Not too long ago I decided to re-read some of the classics I read (or should have read) back in high school.  _To Kill a Mockingbird_ is awesome!

TigerTony

@wbradking -- good suggestion. I went back and read a old classic The Count of Monte Cristo and loved it!  I'll put To Kill a Mockingbird on my list. Thanks!

TigerTony

YEMTrey said: 
@TigerTony, here's a link that has a stream of one of the Warehouse, NO, shows. 

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/29877385/71-09-16.mp3

@YEMTrey -- Oh Man!!! Freakin' Awesome! I can even smell the smoke. Wonder if I was there. If so i was sitting on a old rolled up piece of carpet on the floor on the left side of the stage. I wanted to be as close to Dickey Betts as possible. "Stageboro Blues"  "Trouble No More"    That song stirs all my memories. How did I survive? My poor parents, were they that naive?

Thanks so much for the link!

JohnInCarolina

I've heard that the articles in Playboy are pretty good.  

theyolksonyou

JohnInCarolina said:

I've heard that the articles in Playboy are pretty good.  

thank you, I was starting to feel like a mouth breather for all my fiction. )

TigerTony

@JohnInCarolina -- I gotta tell you man. There is some talent in you.  I think you should write a book. I'd buy it. 

JohnInCarolina

Thanks guys - I'll be here all week. 

More seriously, I'm a big fan of Scott Turow's novels.  I don't know if you ever read any of those - they are basically legal thrillers.  I think Presumed Innocent was one of his first.  He doesn't write frequently since he's still a practicing lawyer, but the books are very good.  

Jon Krakauer's books are also very good.  I think he's one of the more important modern American writers around.  He did Into Thin Air and Into the Wild.  Under the Banner of Heaven should probably be required reading for every US citizen.  

Jeremiah

@YEMTrey‌ @TigerTony‌ Just ran across this on Facebook. Thought y'all would be interested. http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2014/12/10/allman-brothers-band-interview-jaimoe-fillmore-east/

Edit: damn autocorrect.

WeberWho

Awesome book if you're into motorcycles or law enforcement

Jeepster47

Mystery stories are one of my favorite.  Some of the authors that haven't been mentioned yet and are worth a look:

Stieg Larsson w/ Lisbeth Salander & Mikael Blomkuist characters ... the one you'll recognize is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ... he wrote three before he died ... read them in order

Camilla Lackberg w/ Patrik Hedstrom & Erica Falck characters ... she is a leading mystery author in Scandinavia ... read in order

Perri O'Shaughnessy w/ Nina Reilly ... in order is okay, but not necessary

Robert B. Parker w/ Spensor and Hawk characters ... he also wrote the Jesse Stone series ... very easy read, but entertaining

Lisa Unger  (4 books under her maiden name of Lisa Miscione) ... the Hollows is a series, but the rest are single novels ... her husband must sleep with one eye open

Lisa Gardner has two different characters that she rotates ... also has a very disturbed mind ... her books will keep you awake

If you liked Dan Brown, you might like Steve Berry ... he's a Dan Brown lite author who's also deep in history

Brad Thor w/ Scott Harvath ... read in order or close to in order

David Baldacci is a classic with a couple of repeating characters

If you don't know about http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ give it a try.  You can look up ANY author and see what they have written ... brief reviews of books are also there.

Thanks for asking the question ... I've added several authors to my to-read list.

theyolksonyou

+ 1 on unger, Gardner, brown, Barry, Thor and Baldacci

Grillin_beers

I just finished Infinite Jest and it was great literature. I'm also a big fan of Pat Conroy, specifically Prince of Tides and The Lords of Dicipline.

TigerTony

@Jeepster47‌ -- Thank you so much! I'm going to research from your list. It will be a great reference for me.
I read one of the Brad Thor novels "Path of the Assassin" a few years ago.

Jeepster47

Harry Bosch is by Michael Connelly ... plus 2 for his stories.

Plus one on Carl Hiaasen ... "Tourist Season" is a classic ... just can't read them one after the other ... they're that crazy

I liked the earlier James Patterson stories, but then he started going really weird, so haven't read the later ones.

John's suggestion of Scott Turow's "Presumed Innocent" is a good one.

If you live in Arizona or Washington, J.A.Jance might interest you.  She has four characters who rotate ... the J.P. Beaumont series in Washington is the best. 

One more and I'll quite bothering you ... if you live in Northern Michigan you might like Steve Hamilton ... read in order.

Oh heck just one more ... real popcorn for the brain type books, but John Sandford is an easy read ... three main characters centered mostly in Minneapolis/St Paul.

Carolina Q

Nelson DeMille is good. I like his John Corey character, Plum Island and Night Fall for example, but his other stuff is good too.  

Another vote for Vince Flynn and David Baldacci as well.

If you want to try something different, try The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. According to wiki, it is apparently considered to be the first ever English language detective novel. Written in 1868. It's, umm, a little dated.  I read it years ago and recently found it online. 

https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/c/collins/wilkie/c71m/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moonstone

theyolksonyou

Forgot Sanford. That's a good one too for an outdoorsy main character in some and a risky cop in all. Depending on Flowers as main character former, or Davenport latter.

QDude

The Vince Flynn books are outstanding!  His series of books with Mitch Rapp as the lead character (assassin) are great.  Unfortunately he died a few years ago before he was 50.

theyolksonyou

Mitch Rapp is a baaaaad mofo. I'm lovin this thread!

Jeepster47

Vince Flynn died, but at least he left us with 13 Mitch Rapp books and one novel.  Stieg Larsson had only three books written before he died.  Robert B. Parker had about 70 book written before he died.

Okay, one more... Robert Crais has the Elvis Cole & Joe Pike series ... they're bad and badder private detectives ... in order is good, but not necessary.  He has about 20 books out ... and is still alive, so maybe more.

nolaegghead

I read a lot. Check out the Flavia De Luce series. You'll be hooked after the first book unless you're illiterate.

Acn

@Jeepster47‌ - If you like mysteries and haven't read them, search out the Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout. Absolutely fantastic.

To Kill A Mockingbird is one of the absolute best novels ever written. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams are some of the funniest books you'll ever read. In that same vein, The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers is outstanding. Moers' The City of Dreaming Books is also worth reading.

I've recently been on a big Wodehouse kick, rereading almost all the Jeeves stories. Just a general list of some of my favorite books (plus those mentioned above) would include:
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families by Philip Gourevich
Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut
Sweet Soul Music by Peter Guralnick
Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara
The Miracle of St. Anthony by Adrian Wojnarowski
All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren
Pagan Babies by Elmore Leonard (and all of Leonard's stuff is worth reading)