Next round of what are you reading?

Another Oz detective fiction writer is Peter Corriss. His stuff's pretty good (at least, he keeps winning awards for it), although I'm a bit sick of murder mysteries at the minute, having read dozens in the past few weeks.

Here's some of the authors I've read recently for your consideration:

Minette Walters - writes a ripping good yarn and gives you enough info to solve the mystery yourself without ruining it at the end. Her books are well worth a few re-reads, I reckon.

Ian Rankin - the Inspector Rebus mysteries. British police drama - always good!

Alison G. Taylor - the Inspector McKenna mysteries. Ditto (see above)

Jodi Picoult - interesting writer who manages to squeeze every last drop of emotion from harrowing personal dilemmas. The first one of hers that I read was about a child who was conceived specifically to provide bone marrrow and other cellular material for her terminally ill sister. She sued her family for the right to determine what was done to her body in the interest of her sister's ongoing health. Others are in the same vein and very well-researched indeed!

Michael Robotham - more murder mysteries, well-written and interesting.

Alafair Burke - same, although I enjoyed his writing style much more.

James Patterson - a formidably long series of good books about Detective Alex Cross (got tedious after about six of them, though) and a *really* well-written and gripping 'sci-fi' series about a genetically modified winged child called Maximum Ride. These were written for children and my inner child just *loved* them!

James A. Michener remains my all-time favourite author. He puts meat and three veg into his massive sagas!

He's followed closely by Patrick O'Brian (the Aubrey/Maturin series of

31 unforgettably brilliant sea-faring books) and CS Forrester (Hornblower series).

Has anyone read the recent Wilbur Smith ('Assegai')? I got sick of it and put it down after a few chapters. Snif. I've always enjoyed WS, but this one was just too same-old-same-old for words.

Currently reading Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguri, collection of short stories involving music, love and time passing. He is an amazing writer. Just about to start American Wife, sort of auditioning it for a bookclub option for fall, and The Shadow of the Wind by Ruiz Zafon, because how could I resist something that involves The Cemetary of Forgotten Books??

Glad to see Sue's notes--Shanghai Girls and The Help are both on my holds list at the library. And I am going to try The Art of Racing in the Rain again, still prepared to cry, but think I can get through it this time. Everyone I know who has read it recommends it highly.

Dawne

I highly recommend anything by Michael Gruber. Try and read the ones about the cop in order, but the freestanding ones are truly freestanding. I can't wait for him to publish another book.

Sara

I stopped reading her. I spent so much time just wanting to slap Goldy and her son even after the evil ex died. Is the new one more mystery and less angst?

Isn't she great? I don't think I still have the older ones, but they are so worth reading and the series just gets better and better. The Liam Campbell books are good too.

I don't own it, but it could appear as a present at some point! C

That sounds useful, especially, right now.

I'm really torn with DD sometimes. Yesterday, she borrowed a shirt of mine. (it had fit, made an unauthorized trip through the dryer and it is a bit tight now). Nothing really girly, blue with lily pads, still quite loose, but clearly a female top, not off the boys rack or the shirt wall at the hockey/lax shop. I thought she looked sweet but she came home wanting to never wear it again. Sometimes, I feel she should look like a girl, not a girl in her brother's clothes once in a while outside of family events. But she's clearly not comfortable being a girl in girls clothes. She is comfortable whipping that pony tail in some poor defenseman's face.

And just for giggles, go find Preteena (a comic strip). Stick just might be DD.

That sound familiar..but there was a sci-fi book with a very similar name.

Cheryl

I'll go looking for him when I have the car again.

Cheryl

Ditto the Rankin - love 'em all and recently 21 y.o. DD has fallen in love with his books. She also loved the PBS "Wallender" Mystery series. I haven't read any of those books - anybody here recommend them?

Also ditto the Picoult. I'm amazed by how she is able to take VERY complex emotional situations and present characters on differing sides fairly. I'm always wrung out not only emotionally for the characters, but the books really have fodder for reflection - what would *I* do under similar - often no-win - situations? Her books always have some "grace" in them, even within horrendous situations.

Have you read Chris Bohjalian? I also enjoy his stories - similar to Picoult, in that it's people under emotional duress, often displaying grace - but a little bit "lighter." I feel invested, but less wrung-out at the end.

Love Michener, too - but I'd still have to put Dickens ahead of him in line for best-author-ever!

Sue

I've read quite a few "Kate Shugak" books and really enjoyed the Alaskan setting, especially since it's one of the places my DH and I hope to visit soon.

I have also mentioned on here before that I like the books by Nevada Barr - her main character, Anna Pigeon, is a law enforcement ranger in US National Parks all over the country. There is a lot of interesting information on deserts, forests, Great Lakes, islands, etc. depending on where the story takes place. Nevada Barr herself was a ranger so the info. rings true.

The Goldy books are fun and lighthearted. And really, is the new book "Scarpetta" any good? I had sworn off Patricia Cornwell because she got off into the weeds on unbelievable personal stuff and forgot about writing a good mystery.

MelissaD

It's very good. And you will likely cry - but that is the nature of dealing with the shorter here with us life-spans of our fur-faces. It's a good book

- on the human relations and animal perspective, both - IMHO.

Thanks for the other suggestions.

Ellice

This is an other great series. The last one was so very very good!

Goldy - light hearted. I haven't read the last few, but the last one (evil ex dies), I wanted slap the cow....

C+

LOL - yeah, Goldy needs to stop drinking so much coffee and interfering with everyone else's business!

MelissaD

Have you read "Winter Study" by Nevada Barr? It is the one that came out in 2008. It is set on Grand Isle again, but is really different. She has one scheduled for this year, too.

One of my favorite book sites is

Enter the name of the author, and all the books are listed. The best thing is that they are also listed in sequence by series. I cut and paste onto Word, and print the list out,; I keep the lists in my purse, so I can check to see if I have already read that one.

We have a great secondhand paperback book store near us, and this is where I get a lot of my reading material.

Gillian

Read it, loved it. Read "Borderline", loved it. Don't think I ever didn't like one of her books.

Saved!

Does any one else do Shelfari

referred it by a librarian buddy. If nothing else, I see who has read whatI read and maybe find some thing new to me.

Cheryl

LOL - I haven't seen this website but I too carry around lists of authors and the books I want so I can check for them at our used book store. Great minds think alike!

Thank you for the link - MelissaD

I'll look out for the Wallender series and for Chris Bohjalian too. Thanks for the recommendations, Sue - it's always good to have a new author lined up. I wasn't able to read Dickens for years and years and years (dunno why... I'd just get lost about a quarter of the way into his books). But then, I saw 'Bleak House' on telly and picked up the book. I've been reading him ever since! Go figger!

I picked up the 'Twilight' series (Stephanie Meyer) to see what all the kids were raving about and quite enjoyed reading the tale. DD, on the other hand, was silly enough to watch the film first and she thinks the whole concept is 'lame'. She refuses to touch the books with a barge-pole. Stupid child!

Check out the trilogy by Libba Bray for DD - "A Great and Terrible Beauty", et al. I listened to them as audiobooks and enjoyed them.

sue

Found a sample chapter. Sounds good...

C

Just dropping in - Wallender has been made into a PBS Mystery on Masterpiece series - starring Kenneth Branagh. Very interesting. We've seen 2 episodes.

Some people are just that way - personally I hate seeing films and then reading the book. Would rather read first.

ellice