Nothing sci fi please
2007-09-15 09:17:54 · 36 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
I don't know what your tastes are, so here is quite a wide range: (no sci-fi, I hate the stuff!!)
Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh. Hilariously funny novel about a young man kicked out of Oxford University, and his job as a school teacher at a school full of oddballs. A rip-roaring farce.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. About a girl who has a nervous breakdown.
Death to the French by C.S. Forester. Set in Portugal during the Napoleonic Wars, it is about a British soldier who gets trapped behind enemy lines, and how he organises the locals in a guerilla war, as he works his way back to his own side.
River God by Wilbur Smith. Set in Ancient Egyp, it is about a love affair between two people who can never be together.
Salem Falls by Jodi Picault. This is about a school teacher who is sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit (having a relationship with a student), and who is accused of it again when released.
2007-09-15 09:33:07 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
This list will get you started when you've read them all ask me again lol.
20,000 Streets Under the Sky
The 2½ Pillars of Wisdom
A Scots Quair
Abbey Girls
Les Rois Maudits
The Adventure Series
The Adventure Series (Willard Price)
The Adventures of Captain Underpants
Agatha Raisin
Aliens (novel series)
Aliens vs. Predator (series)
American Empire (Harry Turtledove)
The Ancient Future
The Animals of Farthing Wood (book series)
Anno Dracula series
Arabesk trilogy
The Artefacts of Power
The Ascendants of Estorea
Ashe (The Symphony of Ages)
The Asian Saga
Aubrey–Maturin series
Babylon Rising
The Bagthorpe Saga
The Baroness
The Barrytown Trilogy
Battle Circle (novels)
Be an Interplanetary Spy
Henri Bencolin
The Berrybender Narratives
Betsy-Tacy
The Black Company
Blackstone Chronicles (novel series)
Blade of Fire
Modesty Blaise
Blåljus!
Bob Morane
The Borrible Trilogy
Bourne Trilogy
Boy Soldier Series
The Boys Start the War
Brains Benton
Bridge trilogy
Brotherhood of War (book series)
Bunnicula
Burke (character)
COBRA (action-adventure novels)
COBRA (science fiction novels)
Cadfael
Cairo Trilogy
Callahan's Crosstime Saloon
Camp Fire Girls (novel series)
Canongate Myth Series
Captain Underpants
Captain Underpants and the Big, Bad Battle of the Bionic Booger Boy
Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space (and the Subsequent Assault of the Equally Evil Lunchroom Zombie Nerds)
Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants
Captain Underpants and the Preposterous Plight of the Purple Potty People
Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Re-Turn of Tippy Tinkletrousers
Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman
Carbonel series
The Carmella Trilogy
Cat Who series
Catteni Series
Chalet School
The Cheetah Girls (novel series)
Chestnut Hill (novel series)
The Children of the Grail
Christ Clone Trilogy
The Chronicles of Narnia
Chronicles of Xan
Chronicles of the Necromancer
Chung Kuo
Circle Trilogy
Clair Maxwell mysteries
The Clayhanger Family
Kat Colorado
Confessions of Georgia Nicolson
Conquerors Trilogy
The Cornish Trilogy
Corum
Covert-One series
The Crane's View Trilogy
Creepers series
Crimson shadow series
Crowner John Mysteries
Eve Dallas
Danzig Trilogy
The Dark is Rising Sequence
Date with Destiny Adventure
Dayworld
De svarta riddarna
Dean Koontz's Frankenstein
Deathstalker (series)
Deathworld
Cindy Decker
Peter Decker
Deryni novels
The Diamond Brothers
Dirk Pitt
List of Doc Savage novels
The Domination
Dragon's Game
List of Dragonlance novels
Dragonslayer's Return
Dragonvarld
A Dream of Eagles
Dreamhunter Duet
The Dresden Files
Dungeon series
Elemental Master
Empire of Man
Errendore and the Kings of Lochelan
Everworld
Janie Johnson series
Fairy Realm
The Fate of the Children
Fear Street
Fearless (novel series)
Gideon Fell
Fey (novels)
Fiddler (mystery series)
Final Waltz
Finder's Stone
Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman
The Five Find-Outers
Harry Paget Flashman
Fleabag Trilogy
The Floating Island
Fiora Flynn
The Forbidden Game
The Forever War series
Peace and War
List of Forgotten Realms novels
The Forsyte Saga
The Fortunes of Richard Mahony
Fortunes of War
Gamearth Trilogy
The Gardella Vampire Chronicles
The Gatekeeper (Buffy novel series)
The General series
The Ghost Hunter
Gilda Joyce
Girl Detective
Godzilla (Marc Cerasini series)
Godzilla (Scott Ciencin series)
Gorse Trilogy
Gossip Girl
Graustark
Great War (Harry Turtledove)
Grigori Trilogy
Guardians of Ga'Hoole
Les Habits Noirs
Hamish Macbeth
The Hand of Thrawn duology
Hannah Swensen Mysteries
Harold Shea (fictional series)
The Harper Hall Trilogy
Heartland (novel series)
Hide in the Storm
Historien om en fjälldal
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy
The Hollows (series)
Humanx Commonwealth
Hungry City Chronicles
The Icemark Chronicles
To find the authors and series lists, use the search bar. Happy Reading.
2007-09-16 07:05:21 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
"The Layer Cake" by Conley is the story of a British drug dealer. His plan is to retire by age 30, but first he needs to find a missing girl for his boss and complete a deal for 250,000 Ecstasy pills...simple. Right?
"The Codex" by Douglas Preston. Old-man Broadbent is a real SOB who made a huge fortune robbing the tombs of the Incas and Mayans. His estranged sons (half-brothers) discover the old man is missing and his mansion is empty. The only thing left behind is a video tape will. The tape has a simple message: "I am dying and have decided to be buried like the ancient kings I robbed. If you want any inheritance, you must loot my tomb. Good luck finding it." Can the three brothers work together to secure their futures? Will greed get the better of them? This novel is a good adventur stoy drawing on Preston's experience as a curator at the Museum on Natural History. It is followed up by "Tyrannosaur Canyon."
If you are looking for a great comedy/crime-caper; "Drowned Hopes" by Donald Westlake is a must. Unlucky, criminal mastermind John Dortmunder is surprised when an ex-cellmate is paroled. Tom Jimson was a vicious bank robber going into prison and the years have not mellowed him. Now Jimson need Dortmunder's help in recovering his big stash. The problem being that New York City built a reservoir over Jimson's money. Can Dortmunder get to the loot without loosing his life? Not if the reservior has any say in it.
2007-09-15 11:09:48 · answer #3 · answered by Kevin k 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Kind of a broad question, but some of my favorites are:
Enduring Love by Ian McEwan
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Asylum by Patrick McGrath
Under the Skin by Michel Faber (kind of sci-fi, but not like most)
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
The Sailor who Fell from Grace with the Sea by Yukio Mishima
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov
Ada by Vladimir Nabokov
and that other guy's right about Jitterbug Perfume. It's really good.
2007-09-15 09:59:13 · answer #4 · answered by Miss Angora 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Depends what you like but excellent is The Time Travellers wife by Audrey Niffenegger (its not sci-fi). The House at Riverton by Kate Morton (In Australia it was titled The Shifting Fog) - just finished that one and its great ! The Savage Garden by Mark Mills. Barbra Taylor Bradfords - Woman of Substance books 6 in total I don't rate her others at all. Alexander McCall Smiths books about the NO1 Ladies Detective agency - light reading but very good.
All of the above are excellent reads and have grabbed my attention from the start.
2007-09-15 09:31:15 · answer #5 · answered by BigMomma2 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Martina Cole, Kathy Reichs, Micheal Connally, John Grisham, MinetteWalters, Patricia Cornwall.The book I have just read is the Kite runner by Khaled Hosseini set in Afghanistan brilliantly written .
2007-09-15 09:37:56 · answer #6 · answered by ǝuoʎʞɔɐʍ 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sharon Penman writes great stuff, I call it historical faction, so mainly real characters but told in story form, Sunne in Splendour covers Wars of the Roses and is excellent starter as whole story in one book. shed wholly different and very moving interpretation of Richard III as sympathetic character and is very plausible.
If you like ripping yarns, Wilbur Smith is a good story teller, River God etc gallop along nicely, but meaty enough to keep you going.
For fantasy rather than sci-fi, with some good ole love interest thrown in I really enjoyed Sara Douglas' Axis trilogy and the subsequent follow on Wayfarer stuff. Friend borrowed them on holiday recently and loved them.
Hope that helps. Kuta, xx
2007-09-15 11:30:56 · answer #7 · answered by kuta 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It'd be easier if you said what age you are looking for! A 12 year old's interests are certainly different from a fifty year olds'!
Oh well.Here are some books that most people of any age can enjoy:
The Acorn People by Jones
A Dog's Life by Mayle
The Unexpected Mrs. Polifax by Gilman
Joshua by Girzone
The Blue Bottle Club by Stokes
A Christmas Carol by Dickens
Emily Ever After by Dayton
A Room of My Own by Tatlock
Dreaming Water by Tsukiyama
The Locket by Evans
Christy by Marshall
2007-09-15 10:41:03 · answer #8 · answered by Puff 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The Sammy Keyes series by Wendelin Van Draanen is amazing, I'm so addicted to those books. It's about a 12yr old girl detective who lives in a sketchy town and solves mysteries...I didn't explain it well enough but either way they're verry good books =D
I also love the Harry Potter series and Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist.
2007-09-15 09:22:08 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The DaVinci Code
The Private series
Iris Johnsen
2007-09-15 09:49:34 · answer #10 · answered by basketballgirl1090 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋