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Temporarily abandoning HF? Here's the place to pick up some other book ideas...

Chatterbox
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Temporarily abandoning HF? Here's the place to pick up some other book ideas...

Post by Chatterbox » Wed January 13th, 2010, 2:28 pm

Not that our TBR mountains need to grow any larger, but sometimes, some of us simply don't find any appealing HF to read or get temporarily frustrated with a long streak of DNF books, and need a change of pace.

In response to Leo62's suggestion, here's the thread to post your most interesting/lively non-HF suggestions for fellow readers also looking for a short break.

I'll kick it off with the following:

A few of us, I think, have delved into Ann Cleeves' new series of mysteries, set in the Shetlands. I'm just starting book #3 in the series, and still enjoy the series, although I think the first, "Raven Black", was the strongest.

Last night, I finished Jasper Fforde's new release, "Shades of Grey", which is a hilarious dystopian vision of a world where grey dominates and your status depends on how much you can see of what kind of color spectrum (Reds are inferior to Yellows and Blues, but Purples rule...) Stayed up to 3 a.m. to finish it.

CW had mentioned Steve Berry's latest; I wasn't enamored of his last, so while I have the new book on my Kindle, it may not be my next non-HF read. John Lescroart has a new mystery/suspense book out that I may read soon, however.

Take it away, folks... :) :)

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boswellbaxter
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Post by boswellbaxter » Wed January 13th, 2010, 2:49 pm

I really enjoyed Anne Tyler's latest novel, Noah's Compass. Not as good as her very best novels, but certainly excellent. Not for readers who prefer alpha males and action-packed plots, but highly recommended for those who like sharp psychological observation, witty prose, and deft characterization.
Susan Higginbotham
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parthianbow
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Post by parthianbow » Wed January 13th, 2010, 3:08 pm

Good idea for a thread! :D
The Knife of Never Letting Go, by Patrick Ness, first of the Chaos Walking trilogy. I'd guess it's aimed at 11-15 year olds. It's not my usual cup of tea at all, in that a) it's YA, and b) it's sci-fi (but as you find out, it's not really). It was recommended to me by a member of staff at a Roman fort where I was appearing last summer. She was writing YA stuff too, and mentioned this as being one of the best books she'd read in the previous 5 years. I spent enough time in her company over two days to value her opinion, and bought the book soon after.

It's set in a agrarian world where men and boys can hear each other's thoughts. Women, when they can be found, can hear men's thoughts, but theirs cannot be heard by men. (I thought the fair sex could do that anyway :D )
Anyway, the hero, Davy Prentiss, is the last boy in a town. Shortly before becoming a man, he realises that all is not as it should be when he encounters a girl from Earth.
5/5 stars.
Last edited by parthianbow on Wed January 13th, 2010, 3:11 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: error
Ben Kane
Bestselling author of Roman military fiction.
Spartacus - UK release 19 Jan. 2012. US release June 2012.

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Madeleine
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Post by Madeleine » Wed January 13th, 2010, 3:49 pm

Funny how a few of us have picked up on Ann Cleeves at around the same time. Her 3rd
book in the Shetland series is about to come out in pb here, she's written many other books too judging by the list in RB.
Currently reading "Mania" by L J Ross

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Leo62
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Post by Leo62 » Wed January 13th, 2010, 4:01 pm

Hey chatterbox thanks for starting the thread!

I've reserved Raven Black at the library - this series does sound intriguing, probably because of the unusual Shetland setting.

I'll recommend the two Jenni Mills books again, Crow Stone and The Buried Circle. They're contemporary but have archaological/historical themes. Crow Stone centres around the discovery of a Roman Mithraic (sp?) temple under Bath and Buried Circle is about an historical (1930's) excavation at Avebury.

And of course if you want something with a quality HF feel that isn't HF, you can't go wrong with Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. :D
listen:there's a hell
of a good universe next door;let's go
ee cummings

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EC2
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Post by EC2 » Wed January 13th, 2010, 4:10 pm

I'm busy with R.D. Wingfield's 'A Killing Frost' at the moment, part of his Inspector Frost series. In the UK, we all equate Inspector Frost with the much loved character played by David Jason, but the books (on which the TV series is based) are excellent, filled with black humour and very Un-PC.
Les proz e les vassals
Souvent entre piez de chevals
Kar ja li coard n’I chasront

'The Brave and the valiant
Are always to be found between the hooves of horses
For never will cowards fall down there.'

Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal

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parthianbow
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Post by parthianbow » Wed January 13th, 2010, 4:38 pm

[quote=""Leo62""] I'll recommend the two Jenni Mills books again, Crow Stone and The Buried Circle. They're contemporary but have archaological/historical themes. Crow Stone centres around the discovery of a Roman Mithraic (sp?) temple under Bath and Buried Circle is about an historical (1930's) excavation at Avebury.

And of course if you want something with a quality HF feel that isn't HF, you can't go wrong with Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. :D [/quote]

Wow - thanks Leo62! Mithraic temple under Bath (which is only 9 miles from me) - and Avebury, an amazing place which is also nearby. Excellent books to add to the TBR pile!

Pullman just didn't do it for me. Despite my father and brother raving about the books (and giving me a vast HB tome of all 3) I didn't manage to get past page 50 of the first one. Just not my thaannnngg. :confused:
Ben Kane
Bestselling author of Roman military fiction.
Spartacus - UK release 19 Jan. 2012. US release June 2012.

http://www.benkane.net
Twitter: @benkaneauthor

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EC2
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Post by EC2 » Wed January 13th, 2010, 4:54 pm

[quote=""parthianbow""]Wow - thanks Leo62! Mithraic temple under Bath (which is only 9 miles from me) - and Avebury, an amazing place which is also nearby. Excellent books to add to the TBR pile!

Pullman just didn't do it for me. Despite my father and brother raving about the books (and giving me a vast HB tome of all 3) I didn't manage to get past page 50 of the first one. Just not my thaannnngg. :confused: [/quote]

I wasn't that struck by Pullman either. I managed book one all the way through but have not been tempted to pick up 2 or 3. A good friend was his editor at Scholastic just before he broke big with these books. She went on maternity leave and then changed career (she's now an established writer!) so wasn't there for the big take-off, but would have been his editor if she'd stayed.
Les proz e les vassals
Souvent entre piez de chevals
Kar ja li coard n’I chasront

'The Brave and the valiant
Are always to be found between the hooves of horses
For never will cowards fall down there.'

Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal

www.elizabethchadwick.com

Chatterbox
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Post by Chatterbox » Wed January 13th, 2010, 4:58 pm

Pullman is one of those authors I haven't even tried yet, because of all the buzz! I know it's irrational, but sometimes there is almost too much hype, and if it isn't something that I think I might like (such as a new PG book, despite her recent slump), hype tends to put me off. I've got a long list of books like that, with Pullman among them.

Ann Cleeves is definitely one of the best mystery writers I've discovered in a while. The Shetland series is intriguing, and I'll have to hunt down some of her other books. Meanwhile, for anyone who is interested in mysteries, another similar writer is Martin Edwards. I'm not enamored of his Harry Devlin series, but the other books, the Lake District mysteries, are great and very reminiscent of Ann Cleeves in their sense of place & style. The first is The Coffin Trail, followed by The Cipher Garden and the Arsenic Labyrinth. The fourth is due out in February, and I've preordered it.

If you're into English chick-lit, I'm a fan of Trisha Ashley, who writes really funny books with quirky and independent heroines that are in their 30s and 40s. A great antidote to the 20-something Shopaholic style books. One rather funny one, Every Woman for Herself, starts with a woman rediscovering herself when her husband walks out -- and there's a story line involving her neighbor's lecherous husband and a cast iron frying pan. She ends up back with her eccentric family (her father named the kids after the Bronte children) and meets a gorgeous actor, with whom she's decidedly unimpressed. It's a very original and entertaining twist on the conventions of chick lit, and Bronte-aholics will find lots of inside jokes to chortle over.

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EC2
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Post by EC2 » Wed January 13th, 2010, 5:08 pm

[quote=""Chatterbox""]
If you're into English chick-lit, I'm a fan of Trisha Ashley, who writes really funny books with quirky and independent heroines that are in their 30s and 40s. A great antidote to the 20-something Shopaholic style books. One rather funny one, Every Woman for Herself, starts with a woman rediscovering herself when her husband walks out -- and there's a story line involving her neighbor's lecherous husband and a cast iron frying pan. She ends up back with her eccentric family (her father named the kids after the Bronte children) and meets a gorgeous actor, with whom she's decidedly unimpressed. It's a very original and entertaining twist on the conventions of chick lit, and Bronte-aholics will find lots of inside jokes to chortle over.[/quote]

I agree re Trisha Ashley - and she's a friend! Can I pass on your compliment when I see her? I know she'd be so pleased! :)
Les proz e les vassals
Souvent entre piez de chevals
Kar ja li coard n’I chasront

'The Brave and the valiant
Are always to be found between the hooves of horses
For never will cowards fall down there.'

Histoire de Guillaume le Mareschal

www.elizabethchadwick.com

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