What are some good books to read? I'm not into sci-fi, or history, but I do like a good mystery or romance novel or fantasy (like HP).
2007-02-27 04:46:15 · 24 answers · asked by balla24n7 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
I am in college
2007-02-27 04:53:08 · update #1
My favourite romance author is Nicholas Sparks books, they are tear-terkers but I just love them. I heard that John Grisham has good mystery novels but I've never read any.
2007-02-27 04:50:11 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hi,
If you like mystery/romance, I highly recommend Jeffrey Deaver.
He writes "The Bone Collector" and "The Twelfth Card" (the Bone Collector was made into a movie, DON'T WATCH THE MOVIE you will be totally disappointed!) He is really awesome and the movie productors (like normal) butchered the book.
If you like the Harry Potter Series, try Eragon and Eldest by Christopher Paolini. The movie "Eragon" actually stays true to the book but I would still recommend reading the book before seeing the movie.
Linda Howard and Lisa Jackson are also highly recommended in the romance/mystery department. Anything by them would not be a disappointment.
2007-02-27 20:16:31 · answer #2 · answered by corvettefiend21 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mystery: Anything by John Grisham, particularly "The Firm" which is also a movie staring Tom Cruise. Read the book first though. Anything by Marry Higgins Clark, gotta love "The Queen of Suspense".
Romance: Anything by Nicholas Sparks, his novels are phenomenal, I liked "Message In A Bottle" the best, but they're all wonderful. Other Authors: Nora Roberts, Danielle Steel
Fantasy: His Dark Materials Trilogy by Philip Pullman
A couple other novels I think you'd really enjoy based on your description:
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
Something Borrowed by Emily Griffin (THIS IS A MUST READ!!! I MEAN IT!!, if you don't look into any of the other authors or books I recommended, PLEASE check out this one, you'll love it, I promise!!)
2007-02-27 13:25:02 · answer #3 · answered by Kiara 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I recommend the Heralds of Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey, starting with The Arrows of the Queen, or really anything by Mercedes Lackey is very good. Also, TA Barron's Young Merlin Series is also very excellent. His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik is a good twist on the war between England and Napolean, involving dragons and much historical fact. For a good romance and fantasy, The Charmed Sphere by Catherine Asaro was a very good book, and has three others in its' series. Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind is an amazing book, though the rest of the Sword of Truth series is just all right. They are very long, complicated reads, but good. Kingdom For Sale - SOLD! by Terry Brooks is hilariously funny (also a fantasy) along with Terry Prachett's Discworld novels. If you ever have a bad day, go buy Color of Magic by Terry Prachett. ^_^ It's a grand, silly adventure!
2007-02-27 12:59:32 · answer #4 · answered by Mo K 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Here are some of my favorite books in order by author
Alice blanchard (lesser known author but my absolute favorite mystery/thriller author)
The Breathtaker
Life Sentences
Darkness Peering
James Patterson (great thriller author)
London Bridges
The Big Bad Wolf
Pop Goes the weasel
5th horseman
Lifeguard
Dean Koontz
hideaway
The Key to midnight
Robert B Parker ( great mystery author)
everything in the SPENSER series...absolutely great books
Linda Howard (great romance/mystery/suspence author)
Kiss me while I sleep
other good authors are G.M. Ford, Patricia cornwell, john Grisham
2007-02-27 13:58:12 · answer #5 · answered by sexy bass fisherman 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you like romance and mystery . . . Anita Shreve is wonderful. Some of her books are:
* The Weight of Water
* The Pilot's Wife
* A Wedding in December
* Fortune's Rocks
... and many others. Her books are on the current best seller lists and are very entertaining. They all have a surprising twist at the end. I highly recommend them! Good luck.
2007-02-27 13:19:08 · answer #6 · answered by Mel 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, if You like romance You could read "Like water for the chocolate" by Laura Eskivel,then there is a range of Isabel Allende`s novels. I know You said no history, but "Music&silence" and "Restauration" by Rose Tremain are great. Or, You could try something by Tony Parsons.
As for mystery books, well, english authors are the best in classical "Who did it?" stories, but I`d rather read not-quite fantasy Terry Pratchet`s novels. They are terrific.
2007-02-27 13:06:22 · answer #7 · answered by Romentari 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I loved:
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
This would be historical fiction. I don't like history either so don't not try it because you are scared about the "historical" category. It's like saying Gone with the Wind is a war movie...the focus in not the Civil War.
Also, Huckleberry Finn was the first book I ever read that made me laugh out loud. Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose was made into a movie with Sean Connery in it, you could say it was historical, but trust me, it's like the GWTW example above, the Spanish Inquisition is a minor minor role. The mystery is fantastic.
For mystery etc. I highly reccommend Robin Cook. His book Marker had me reading from cover to cover.
I also enjoy Dean Koontz but he gets a little science fi at times
with some of the facts in his books, but I would have to say he is more scary/horror like Stephen King.
It you want to have your pants scared off, you could read Stephen King's "IT." That book made me look over my shoulder more than once. I was so scared I didn't want to keep reading, but too interested to stop reading.
Finally, (I could go on all day) I would have to reccommend Lillian Jackson Braun with her "The Cat who" series for a good mystery.
Ok, I lied just a few more...Pier Anthony's Xanth series entertained me and made me laugh out loud. From his series The Incarnations of Immortality, the book "On a Pale Horse" made me laugh so much just in his description of a billboard, I've never forgotten it, plus it is so intriguing. It is a fantasy/mystery.
Ok, I'll stop! Wait! One more:
Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard. They made it into a movie called "Jackie Brown" the book (as is how it normally is) is much better.
Let me know if you like any of these.
englishivyrose@yahoo.com
2007-02-27 13:17:20 · answer #8 · answered by Zumbagirl 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Memory Keepers Daughter By Kim Edwards
also
My sisters Keeper By Jodi Picoult
2007-02-27 13:25:45 · answer #9 · answered by snellspa 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
For MYSTERY anything by Patricia Cornwell. I would recommend you start with her first novel, "Postmortem". It starts the continuing story of Forensic Pathologist, Kay Scarpetta.
http://www.amazon.com/Postmortem-Kay-Scarpetta-Mysteries-Paperback/dp/0671023616
For ROMANCE, I am now reading "The Light in the Piazza" by Elizabeth Spencer. It's pretty good. The setting is Florence and Rome in the summer of 1953. A young American tourist, meets and falls for young Italian. When her mother learns of the affair, she opposes it for reasons that only gradually become known to the reader.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Light_in_the_Piazza
2007-02-27 12:54:54 · answer #10 · answered by crash 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋