Looking for some good books to read on my long train trips!?

Question

I like suspenseful (not scary/horror) books like The DaVinci Code, and Angels and Demons that are easy reads and keep you from wanting to put the book down. Also a huge fan of the Harry Potter series. Not really into sad or romantic storylines by authors like NIcholas Sparks, etc. I would appreciate any recommendations and some sort of explanation why you liked the book(s) or a short summary of what the book's about. Thanks!

Answer 1

Dresden file book series by Jim Butcher.There are 8 books in the series beginning with stormfront.Each novel in the series is told from the fictional perspective of Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden (named by his father after Harry Houdini, Harry Blackstone, Sr., and David Copperfield). Dresden is the only professional wizard in modern-day Chicago (he is in the phone book, under "Wizards").In the world of The Dresden Files, magic is real, along with vampires, demons, spirits, faeries, werewolves, and more. The general public that Harry Dresden works to protect does not believe in magic or the large array of dark forces which regularly conspire against them. This makes it tough for Harry to get by as a working wizard and private eye.He is aided by Bob,a talking skull.Karrin Murphy-a police officer and Thomas-a white court vampire.

Brother Odd by Dean Koontz is the third book in his Odd Thomas series. Poor Odd has been through so much in the last couple of years. He lost Stormy, the love of his life, he's given up his job and his home to move into seclusion at a California mountainside monastery in hopes that his "gift" for seeing the dead won't be an issue up there. Instead he finds a poltergeist monk and evil spirits gathering around the young disabled children the monks (and nuns) care for. Odd knows that trouble is coming, and as usual he's the only one to recognize it.Can Odd mitigate the coming cataclysm? Of course he can, despite the arrival of murderous bone creatures and grim Death itself, for the monks include quite a contingent of reformed martial sinners, most memorably Brother Knuckles, formerly of the New Jersey Mob, and another guest, a mysterious Russian librarian from Indianapolis, who is more and different than Odd thinks he is.

The Time-Master trilogy By Louise Cooper.(review from Amazon)The books are 'The Initiate',The Outcast and The Master.It tells the story of Tarod a fascinating anti-hero, evolving throughout the series from a loyal disciple of Order to the God of Chaos that is his true heritage, with the repeated examination of his humanity thrown into the mix.

The Vivero letter by Desmond Bagley.Jeremy Wheale's well-ordered life is torn apart when his brother is murdered by a mob hit man, whose bait was a family heirloom - a sixteenth-century gold tray. The trail takes Wheale from Devon to Mexico and the wild tropical rain forests of Yucatan. In dense jungle, he helps two archaeologists locate the rest of a fabled hoard of gold - treasure from Uaxuanoc, the centuries-old lost city of the Mayas. But his brother's enemies are on Wheale's trail, and with them are the Chicleros, a vicious band of convict mercenaries.

Landslide by Desmond Bagley.Bob Boyd wakes up in a hospital with no memory,the only surviver of an accident.He was burned badly all over and needed extensive plastic surgery which was payed by a mysterious sponser.He is told that he's a geology student with a bad past.However Bob recovers and gets on with his life.Hired by the powerful Matterson Corporation to survey land before they build a great new dam, he begins to uncover the shaky foundations of the Matterson family and becomes a fly in their ointment.His accident and the Matterson family have more in common than he thought.

Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum.Forget the movie.The book is the real article."The Bourne identity" is the story of a man without a past, rescued from the Mediterranean Sea by some fishermen. He is very ill, and his body has suffered the impact of many bullets. The man is taken by the fishermen to a doctor in a nearby island, who helps him to recover physically and mentally. Our protagonist doesn't remember who he is, but with the help of the doctor he finds some clues he doesn't like too much. He only knows for certain some things, for instance that his face has been altered by plastic surgery, that he knows a lot about firearms and that he carried on him a microfilm that contains the code to an account of four million dollars.

In the Swiss bank where the account is he also finds a name: Jason Bourne. But... is he Jason Bourne?. He cannot remember, and if it were for quite a few people, he won't. From the moment he leaves the island onwards, our man without a past will be followed, and attacked. He doesn't understand why, but he reacts in order to stay alive. Add to this already interesting mixture a woman he takes as a hostage, Marie, a number of assasins (including the most famous assassin in the world, Carlos), and the possibility that he is, as a matter of fact, also an assassin, and you will understand why this book is so good. The main character will be hunted all throughout the book not only by the "bad guys", but also by the "good" ones (mainly agents from the USA Government). You won't be able to stop reading this book, and you will find yourself asking aloud to nobody in particular "who on earth is this man?" and "what started this whole mess"?.
Warning:A character gets raped.

'Bitten' and the rest of the books in the series by Kelley Armstrong.They are about Elena,the only female werewolf in the world.She was made a werewolf against her will by her boy friend.She rebels and runs away to Canada where she has been living as a normal human.However she is called back by her Pack leader when an emergency threatens the Pack.

Savage and Ascension by Kelley Armstrong.Both are available free from the author's website.They tell the story of Clayton,how he was made a werewolf,how Jeremy rescued the feral child wolf and earned Clayton's undying gratitude,and how Clayton became someone to reckon with in his Pack.Told in 1st person from Clayton's view,it is poignant and touching at times and humorous.We understand how his childhood influenced his later life.

Another good series is the Dark Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon.The books provide an alternate take on vampires.People who are unjustly murdered call upon Artemis(Greek goddess) and she grants them a day to avenge themselves.After that they are recruited to her army to fight against evil.These are romance novels.Best of the series are 'Dance with the devil' and 'Seize the night'.

The door to december by Dean Koontz.A psychiatrist's daughter was kidnapped by her ex-husband years ago. When the daughter is finally found, the real fight begins. One by one the people who held her captive become mysteriously tortured and killed. Everyone is afraid the young girl will be next.

The mystery unravels as to what happened to the young girl while she was kidnapped. The young girl, Melanie, is unable to speak, but her mother soon learns that the young girl went through extreme torture as her father used her for a rat in his experiments.

Artemis Fowl book series by Eoin Colfer is about teen age criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl who even plots to steal the gold from the fairies.

Answer 2

Have you ever read any Laurell Hamilton? She has a series where the main character is a vampire executioner. The first books are really good - as the series continues the storylines kind of go awry, but I know many like them. Sherrilyn Kenyon has a series, too - Dark Hunter. There's some romance and characters you can get into.

What about Anne Sebold? The Lovely Bones is powerful, told from the view of a young murder victim, and her memoir, Lucky, is also excellent.

Lately I've enjoyed some Alice Hoffman. Her storylines are a bit different - Fortune's Daughter kept me reading as did Second Nature and Here on Earth. Very strong characters.

You know, when I saw that comment about the Talisman, it brought back memories. I really enjoyed that book and read it on long bus rides to and from work.

If you like fantasy at all, might try Katherine Kurtz and her Deryni series(magical race), Anne McCaffrey and the Pern series (dragonriders) and Piers Anthony and the Xanth (alternate world of magic and puns) or Adept series (also the Incarnations of Immortality.)

Answer 3

I like books with great well developed characters I can relate to. Here are some favorites:

1. Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
2. Extemley Loud and Incredibally Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
3. Running with Scissors: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs
4. The Language of God by Francis S. Collins
5. Sideways by Rex Pickett
6. The Wold According to Garp by John Irving
7. Blue Beard by Kurt Vonnegut

Answer 4

I've just read a book called The Historian by a woman called Elizabeth Kosnova or something similar. It's actually a vampire story but it's more suspense than horror. I bought it whilst I was strained at Alicante Airport trying to get back to the UK for Christmas during all that fog, it kept me going through the journey and beyond.

Elizabeth finds a letter amongst her father's papers which leads her on a journey through the pas and ultimately to discovered the secret of what actually happened to her mother who she believed had died when she was a baby. Very gripping and a happy ending of sorts.

Answer 5

read this: its great ohh and have a nice journey lol harry potter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dragon Rider, Ink Heart, Ink Spell By C. Funke Darby my story's e.g. surviveing sydney cove 1790 and 1942 the bombing of darwin but most of all this is the best!) Alone on a wide wide sea by Michael Morpurgo. hes a 60 yr old man telling his story of how when he was a child he was seperated from his sis kitty. he gets taken to austtralia and put on farm at the age of 5 i think. he is a slave he meets some good people and when hes older has a daughter and plans a trip bak to england to find his long lost sister and find our what the key means (when he left his sis she gave him a key- he calls it the lucky key) but we he make the journey that was a bit about the story heres the blurb from the book: THERE WERE DOZENS OF US ON THE SHIP, BOYS, GIRLS. WE WERE OF TO AUSTRALIA, IT MIGHT AS WELL BEEN THE MOON. Orphaned in WW11, Arthur is separated from his sister and sent to the other side of the world. There his extraordanary journey continues as his friend Marty Survive brutal captivity on a working farm find a new family with eccentic Aunty Meg and her animals, and discover their talent for designing yachts. Sixty years later, Arthur's Daunghter Allie sets sail single-handed in a yacht sesignded by her father, derermind to find his long los sister in england. Can her family LOve stretch across time and the vastness of the oceans? And will threads of Arthurs life finally come together hope you read that book

Answer 6

James Patterson books are like that.... Full of intrigue and mystery. Easy reads and hard to put down...

I've read :Along Came a Spider", "Kiss the Girls" and "Violets are Blue."

I would also highly recommend 2 trilogies by Nora Roberts that I thoroughly enjoyed. Her female lead is a strong woman:
1 - Daring to Dream, Finding the Dream, Holding the Dream
2 - Born in Fire, Born in Ice, Born In Shame

Vince Flynn books are similar to the t.v. show "24" and in fact, he has been a consultant to the show since its inception...

An American Soldier by Tommy Franks was a real eye opener about the new military in America and how Afghanistan and Iraq were planned and exceuted. I really got an education and it is important information for EVERY American to read before they pass judgement on the war.....

Answer 7

The Historian--Great novel about vampires---but not in a scary horror way more of a travel and history novel it is a great read couldnt put it down.

Eragon and Eldest. If you like Harry Potter you'll like these...i dont like them as much as HP but they are good reads (way better than the movie)

The Thirteenth Tale---this book is SO good! its a strange tale with vivid details and amazing twists. Its not like any other book i read and i couldnt pu tit down the language of it was just beautiful

Any James Paterson book---great murder mystery novels, entertaining reads

Clive Cussler books (The Dirk Pitt Novels) the movie Sahara was based on one of his books. Great action book...not always really believable but a really fun read like a good action movie---not much substance but fun.

John Grisham's earlier books are all good and they were made into movies (The client the Pelican Brief, The Firm etc)

I like some of Micheal Criton's books as well. I havent read much of his most recent stuff but his earlier works were almost all made into great movies and the books were way better (The Sphere, Jurassic Park etc)

My new fav book is a fantasy book (even though i normally am not into that stuff) its called The Lies of Locke Lamora by scott Lynch and its a cross between Oceans 11 and Pirates of the Carribean (im not kidding its really good!)

Thats all i can think of off the top of my head! Happy reading

Answer 8

If you like Dan Brown, then another author I would suggest is Arturo Perez-Reverte. "The Flanders Panel" and "The Club Dumas" have the same sort of mystery puzzle style as "The Da Vinci Code." If you like that aspect of it, you might also like Katherine Neville's works such as "The Eight" or Umberto Eco's works such as "The Name of the Rose." Reviewers have taken to saying that Neville, Eco, and Brown make a trio of good reading. If you like one of those authors, you will probably like the other two. Some other books you might like are "The Dante Club" and "The Poe Shadow" by Matthew Pearl and "The Rule of Four" by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason. All of these books basically follow the same theme of a race to solve a puzzle by following scattered clues and they are all very well written.

Answer 9

You can never go wrong with anything by Kurt Vonnegut. He's awesome. Also, anything, specifically "Invisible Monsters", by Chuck Palahniuk. That's one of my favorites. "Mystic River" and "A Drink Before the War" by Dennis Lehane are really good.
"Dogs of Babel" by Carolyn Parkhurst is amazing. It made me cry.

Hope these help. I know that train rides can be excruciating. Especially without an interesting book to read.

Answer 10

Agatha Christie--they are classic mysteries
The Handmaid's Tale--this one really makes you realize how much you take for granted as an American woman

Tuesdays With Morrie--very touching and heartfelt
Uncle John's Bathroom Readers--these are great for long trips! They have lots of articles (1-2 pages each usually) on lots of topics

I also like books that teach you how to do things (like crocheting).
Hope this helps!

Answer 11

Visitors by Bob Chapman has the central character as a young boy, the story is about his search across the years for his lost granddad. He has an extremely funny eccentric English aunt who helps him. The book is full of twists and turns and keeps you guessing until the last page. It is sad and funny and entertaining. I was very taken with it.