Book recommendations
Mar. 24th, 2008 05:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dimity_blueA discussion with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
leesa_perrie got me thinking. Whose books would you recommend, and why?
If anyone's interested in my recommendations, they're under the cut.
For me, I'd recommend:
Detective fiction:
Dorothy L. Sayers. She's one of the best writers of detective fiction out there, IMO. Lord Peter Wimsey (her main hero) is a multi-faceted character who's ably assisted by his manservant Bunter. I also adore the love story between Peter and Harriet Vane. My favourite Peter and Harriet book is Busman's Honeymoon, which features their wedding, honeymoon, and the discover of a dead body in the house they've just bought. My favourite Peter book? I think Murder Must Advertise, which has Peter going undercover in a copywriting firm to track down a murderer. He also deals with drug pushers and impersonates his own cousin (who doesn't actually exist).
Ellis Peters. EP wrote a series of 21 books featuring a 12th century monk called Cadfael who investigates murders with the help of Hugh Beringar. The books are set against of the backdrop of an English Civil War (the Empress Maud vs. her cousin King Stephen) so are fascinating from a historical point of view too. EP also wrote a pile of modern mysteries, the best of which is (IMO) Never Pick Up Hitchhikers. I won't spoil the plot as I know Leesa is going to be reading it at some point, but it's well worth reading.
Fantasy:
David Eddings. While I'm not so keen on his other series, the Belgariad is, IMO, pretty good. It's a very typical hero on a journey type saga, but there's a lot of characters (so pretty much everyone will find someone they like), and lots of adventures and magic and mystery on the way to the happy ending. The Mallorean is the sequel to the Belgariad, and it feels a lot like a rehash to me, with the 'quest' being the rescue of the hero's kidnapped son.
Sci-Fi:
Isaac Asimov. For some reason, I don't particularly enjoy his Foundation series, but his Elijah Baley (detective/Sci Fi) series is wonderful. In the first book, (The Caves of Steel), Elijah is a policeman who ends up partnered with a very human-looking robot in order to investigate the murder of a 'spacer' (a human who was born and grew up on another planet). The book deals with the tensions between spacers and Earth-bound humans, as well as anti-robot hatred. It's also a cracking good story.
The other two books (The Naked Sun/Robots of Dawn) have Elijah travelling to two different spacer worlds in order to investigate a murder on each of those with the aid of Daneel Olivaw (the human-looking robot from the first book). Elijah is severely agraphobic, as are most Earth-bound humans as they all live in domed cities, so he's forced out of his comfort zone and has to deal with that as well as find the killer before he's chucked off the planet with his career in ruins.
There was also a short story that had Daneel Olivaw seeking Elijah's help with a mystery, but they didn't feature in any other books, sadly. :o(
Autobiographical/about cats:
Doreen Tovey. She wrote about her life growing up with an eccentric grandma (Life With Grandma), her early life with her husband (Roses Round the Door), then a small stack of books about her life with her husband and their Siamese cats, starting with Cats in the Belfry. The books are hilarious in places, and heart-wrenching in others as she also deals with losing her cats. In Waiting in the Wings she writes about her husband's death as well. Her books make me cry, but I still re-read them.
Historical romance
Georgette Heyer. IMO, no other author has come close to writing this genre as well as GH did. Her heroes and heroines vary from handsome or beautiful to plain, tall to short, heroic to not very brave, and romantic to extremely practical - sometimes in the same book!
The books themselves also vary. There are a few that are straight-forward romance with a plot that's basically designed to get the hero and heroine together, but more than a few are deeply involved with plots that twist and turn, and sometimes make you wonder what on earth is going on! Yet, they all work out in the end.
There's also a lot of humour in the books too. In one book, The Convenient Marriage, Horatia (the heroine) was kidnapped. Yes, awful name. She hates it too. Anyway, she hit her kidnapper over the head with a poker, escaped into the street, and hurried to get home. Fortunately for her, she ran into her brother and his friend. Unfortunately for her, they were both drunk, and her brother (who totally missed the point that she was kidnapped) thought it was a bit unseemly that she's been going around bashing lords over the head with a poker, then walking home by herself. Not the done thing!
GH also wrote 12 detective fiction books. 11 of them are very enjoyable, and contain a lot of romance too. The 12th (Penhallow) was awful. That's one I won't re-read.
Humour:
P.G. Wodehouse. Not just his Jeeves and Wooster series, but also plenty of his 'one off' books. I have no idea how PGW managed to keep the plot straight while involving the most insane characters outside of Bedlam, but I'm glad he did and could.
Terry Pratchett. TP could also be listed under fantasy, but it's his humour I love. Talk about a warped version of our own world! I think my favourite characters are Death, and the Witches. Greebo (Nanny Ogg's cat) is totally adorable, and I love the Luggage and the Librarian too. Heck, I love all the characters TP comes up with! Favourite book? I haven't got a clue - so many of them are a fantastic (in every sense of the word) way to pass some time.
Classics.
Jane Austen. While I love Pride and Prejudice (including lots of TV/movie adaptations of it), I think it's rivalled by Persuasion, which doesn't receive nearly as much attention. In both case, happy endings for the good characters abound after a lot of complications, while the not so happy ones don't get their just deserts but they definitely don't get happy endings either.
Children's books:
Elinor M. Brent-Dyer. Especially her Chalet School series. EBD isn't the best writer in the world. She frequently contradicts herself one book to the next, and fans of her books track the 'EBD-isms' (as they're called) with gusto, but her books are still very, very enjoyable. The Chalet School series deals with a boarding school that begins in the Tyrol, moves to Guernsey after the Anschluss before WW2, then over to England, and finally ends up in Switzerland after the war. EBD doesn't shirk from dealing with the effects of the war, and her books really do have a feeling of being a little time capsule.
The series starts off in the late 20s, but has a 'sliding scale' of time in that the characters don't age in relation to the real world. Jo, one of the main characters who is featured in most of the books, is a child in the first book (The School at the Chalet). By the end of the 60s, she's about 40, and her eldest daughters are just leaving the school.
So, after all that rambling, what would you recommend?
leesa_perrie got me thinking. Whose books would you recommend, and why?If anyone's interested in my recommendations, they're under the cut.
For me, I'd recommend:
Detective fiction:
Dorothy L. Sayers. She's one of the best writers of detective fiction out there, IMO. Lord Peter Wimsey (her main hero) is a multi-faceted character who's ably assisted by his manservant Bunter. I also adore the love story between Peter and Harriet Vane. My favourite Peter and Harriet book is Busman's Honeymoon, which features their wedding, honeymoon, and the discover of a dead body in the house they've just bought. My favourite Peter book? I think Murder Must Advertise, which has Peter going undercover in a copywriting firm to track down a murderer. He also deals with drug pushers and impersonates his own cousin (who doesn't actually exist).
Ellis Peters. EP wrote a series of 21 books featuring a 12th century monk called Cadfael who investigates murders with the help of Hugh Beringar. The books are set against of the backdrop of an English Civil War (the Empress Maud vs. her cousin King Stephen) so are fascinating from a historical point of view too. EP also wrote a pile of modern mysteries, the best of which is (IMO) Never Pick Up Hitchhikers. I won't spoil the plot as I know Leesa is going to be reading it at some point, but it's well worth reading.
Fantasy:
David Eddings. While I'm not so keen on his other series, the Belgariad is, IMO, pretty good. It's a very typical hero on a journey type saga, but there's a lot of characters (so pretty much everyone will find someone they like), and lots of adventures and magic and mystery on the way to the happy ending. The Mallorean is the sequel to the Belgariad, and it feels a lot like a rehash to me, with the 'quest' being the rescue of the hero's kidnapped son.
Sci-Fi:
Isaac Asimov. For some reason, I don't particularly enjoy his Foundation series, but his Elijah Baley (detective/Sci Fi) series is wonderful. In the first book, (The Caves of Steel), Elijah is a policeman who ends up partnered with a very human-looking robot in order to investigate the murder of a 'spacer' (a human who was born and grew up on another planet). The book deals with the tensions between spacers and Earth-bound humans, as well as anti-robot hatred. It's also a cracking good story.
The other two books (The Naked Sun/Robots of Dawn) have Elijah travelling to two different spacer worlds in order to investigate a murder on each of those with the aid of Daneel Olivaw (the human-looking robot from the first book). Elijah is severely agraphobic, as are most Earth-bound humans as they all live in domed cities, so he's forced out of his comfort zone and has to deal with that as well as find the killer before he's chucked off the planet with his career in ruins.
There was also a short story that had Daneel Olivaw seeking Elijah's help with a mystery, but they didn't feature in any other books, sadly. :o(
Autobiographical/about cats:
Doreen Tovey. She wrote about her life growing up with an eccentric grandma (Life With Grandma), her early life with her husband (Roses Round the Door), then a small stack of books about her life with her husband and their Siamese cats, starting with Cats in the Belfry. The books are hilarious in places, and heart-wrenching in others as she also deals with losing her cats. In Waiting in the Wings she writes about her husband's death as well. Her books make me cry, but I still re-read them.
Historical romance
Georgette Heyer. IMO, no other author has come close to writing this genre as well as GH did. Her heroes and heroines vary from handsome or beautiful to plain, tall to short, heroic to not very brave, and romantic to extremely practical - sometimes in the same book!
The books themselves also vary. There are a few that are straight-forward romance with a plot that's basically designed to get the hero and heroine together, but more than a few are deeply involved with plots that twist and turn, and sometimes make you wonder what on earth is going on! Yet, they all work out in the end.
There's also a lot of humour in the books too. In one book, The Convenient Marriage, Horatia (the heroine) was kidnapped. Yes, awful name. She hates it too. Anyway, she hit her kidnapper over the head with a poker, escaped into the street, and hurried to get home. Fortunately for her, she ran into her brother and his friend. Unfortunately for her, they were both drunk, and her brother (who totally missed the point that she was kidnapped) thought it was a bit unseemly that she's been going around bashing lords over the head with a poker, then walking home by herself. Not the done thing!
GH also wrote 12 detective fiction books. 11 of them are very enjoyable, and contain a lot of romance too. The 12th (Penhallow) was awful. That's one I won't re-read.
Humour:
P.G. Wodehouse. Not just his Jeeves and Wooster series, but also plenty of his 'one off' books. I have no idea how PGW managed to keep the plot straight while involving the most insane characters outside of Bedlam, but I'm glad he did and could.
Terry Pratchett. TP could also be listed under fantasy, but it's his humour I love. Talk about a warped version of our own world! I think my favourite characters are Death, and the Witches. Greebo (Nanny Ogg's cat) is totally adorable, and I love the Luggage and the Librarian too. Heck, I love all the characters TP comes up with! Favourite book? I haven't got a clue - so many of them are a fantastic (in every sense of the word) way to pass some time.
Classics.
Jane Austen. While I love Pride and Prejudice (including lots of TV/movie adaptations of it), I think it's rivalled by Persuasion, which doesn't receive nearly as much attention. In both case, happy endings for the good characters abound after a lot of complications, while the not so happy ones don't get their just deserts but they definitely don't get happy endings either.
Children's books:
Elinor M. Brent-Dyer. Especially her Chalet School series. EBD isn't the best writer in the world. She frequently contradicts herself one book to the next, and fans of her books track the 'EBD-isms' (as they're called) with gusto, but her books are still very, very enjoyable. The Chalet School series deals with a boarding school that begins in the Tyrol, moves to Guernsey after the Anschluss before WW2, then over to England, and finally ends up in Switzerland after the war. EBD doesn't shirk from dealing with the effects of the war, and her books really do have a feeling of being a little time capsule.
The series starts off in the late 20s, but has a 'sliding scale' of time in that the characters don't age in relation to the real world. Jo, one of the main characters who is featured in most of the books, is a child in the first book (The School at the Chalet). By the end of the 60s, she's about 40, and her eldest daughters are just leaving the school.
So, after all that rambling, what would you recommend?
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-24 07:28 pm (UTC)I'll have to disagree with you about 'Penhallow'. It's certainly not a cheerful book, but the depiction of consequences falling on the guilty and innocent alike is (to me at least *g*) pretty damn riveting.
On the autobiographical/about cats front, have you read 'Merry Hall' by Beverly Nichols? It's more roman a clef than strict autobiography, but it's witty and fun, and has gardening and music - and cats.
Classics - I like to sit down with that gossipy chap, Anthony Trollope.
SF - I've been reading Elizabeth Moon's 'Vatta's War' series. It's a highly enjoyable read.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-24 07:48 pm (UTC)Detective (historical):
Candace Robb: She's written two series, the one I'm most familiar with is the Owen Archer series, but the one I've read for the Margaret Kerr series was equally as good. Both, if I remember correctly, are around the late 14th century. Lots of very likeable characters; even the baddies!
Micheal Jecks: Set early-mid 14th century. Excellent murder mystery with some great characters (one of whom is an ex-Templar; deals with what happened to that order, also his reaction to it being disbanded with such undeserved dishonour).
Peter Tremayne (also writes sci-fi, but haven't got around to reading any yet!): I love his Sister Fidelma series, set during the dark ages (the first book is set AD 664) with strong Irish connections, these murder mysteries are very enjoyable too. I love Fidelma and her world.
Lindsey Davis: Set in Roman times, I absolutely adore her Falco series. Great detective work set against the vibrant background the Roman Empire and the every bit as vibrant life of his family - I read these books as much for his family as for the murder mystery aspect!!
Sci-fi:
Timothy Zahn: Yes, he writes Star Wars books, and they're some of the best in the series, but he also writes original sci-fi. The series of his that I read and loved was his Conqueror Series: 'Conqueror’s Pride', 'Conqueror’s Heritage' and 'Conqueror’s Legacy'. I liked how you got the human's POV, in one book, the alien race's POV in the next and then how in the third the differences and misunderstandings are discovered.
Fantasy/sci-fi
Stephen Lawhead: I love his books, though they're not to everyone's taste. He is a Christian and writes from that viewpoint, however they are not allegorical like Narnia is. One of my favs is the his Pendragon Cycle where he explores the Arthur myth in new and exciting ways. Another is the sci-fi series (2 books) 'Empyrion' (usually sold as one book nowadays).
Animals:
Joyce Stranger: Easy reading, and often times lovely stories about animals and people. Some aimed at kids, some at teens and some at adults. If you have a cat, you MUST read 'Kym' - about her Siamese cat. It's a great story!
Chris Pascoe: 'A Cat Called Birmingham' and its sequel, 'You Can Take the Cat out of Slough', are the fun filled story of his clueless and accident-prone cat. Very endearing, and very funny!
Deric Longden: His first few books are about his wife, his life and then he writes about his cats as well. ALL of his books are humorous, even when dealing with the death of his first wife. Highly recommend ALL of his books!
There's more...but I'll leave it there for now!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-24 08:07 pm (UTC)Travel/Living Abroad
Bill Bryson: All his travel and autobiographical books are great. He has also written a couple of books exploring the English language – I’ve read the one about how it changed when it reached America. It’s not as easy reading as his travel books, but if you like non-fiction, non-biography books you’ll like these too.
Anna Nicholas: Finished her book 'A Lizard in my Luggage' last week and loved it. It’s how she moved from London to Mallorca, but it’s not the slightest bit dry (and here I’m not referring to her humour btw!) or pompous or bumbling English people abroad. It’s funny, insightful and she introduces us to interesting characters in both countries.
Chris Stewart: Just finished his first book, 'Driving Over Lemons', and am waiting to start the 'sort of sequel', 'A Parrot in the Pepper Tree', tonight (and then move on to the third one, 'The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society', after that). About him buying a farm in Andalucia (Spain). It’s real, it’s funny, it’s insightful and full of interesting characters. Not the slightest bit dry or boring. I’m really looking forward to the next two books!
(And yes, you can tell, some of the English people going to live abroad books turn me off if they’re too ‘bumbling idiots’ trampling over the locals and their culture; or if they’re dry and boring.)
Cats:
Peter Gethers: 'The Cat who went to Paris', 'A Cat Abroad' and 'The Cat Who’ll Live Forever'. Three great books about an unusual cat who actually liked to travel!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-25 04:56 am (UTC)1. MOCKINGBIRD by Walter Tevis
sad but just so poignant and beautifully written. Themes of humanity, hope and hopelessness, survival...here is the blurb on the back: Mockingbird is a powerful novel of a future world where humans are dying. Those that survive spend their days in a narcotic bliss or choose a quick suicide rather than slow extinction. Humanity's salvation rests with an android who has no desire to live, and a man and a woman who must discover love, hope, and dreams of a world reborn.
2. C.E. Murphy's Walker Papers Series
Joanne Walker is a cop and also a native American shaman, and this trilogy of books (COYOTE DREAMS,THUNDERBIRD FALLS, and URBAN SHAMAN) are quirky, engaging, suspenseful and romantic by turns. I am now reading another of her series which has two novels so far, HEART OF STONE and HOUSE OF CARDS, and this series is about a cool lawyer woman named Margrit and a sexy gargoyle (yep, a gargoyle, ha) named Alban. Again, lots of magic, mystery, suspense, and romance. The third book in this series comes out later this year.
3. Rachel Caine's Weather Warden series
For some reason I just LOVE this series of 6 books so so much (and a seventh is due out later this year). We have weather wardens with specific powers over the elements, we have sexy djinns and evil djinns and so much going on I couldn't even begin to describe this series. But the main character and her romance with her sexy, sexy djinn honey is by turns hot and playful, tender and romantic and achingly tragic and angsty and so so sad and I am still DYING for number 7 to see what is gonna happen with those two. I highly recommend this series.
4. Lilith Saintcrow's Dante Valentine series
Another highly recommended series! In this one we have Dante Valentine, a necromance with a hot emerald jewel implanted in her cheek, badass sword fighting skills, and a reluctant deal she's forced into with Lucifer himself (from Hell fame!), in which he presents her with his 'top' demon named Japhrimel to assist her in her quest; and of course Japhrimel falls for Dante and gifts her with half-demon powers which both protect her but bind her more and more to him, and he becomes a 'fallen' demon in order to stay with Dante and protect her. But that doesn't sit well with Lucifer, who decides he wants both Dante and Japhrimel very very dead...there are five novels which complete the series, and they are dark and intense and steamy and I have never read a relationship quite as erotic yet dangerous and borderline scary as the Dante/Japhrimel pairing. He vows to never leave her side but she sometimes fears him for his violence and power and she later is 'captured' by Lucifer's minions and tortured horribly in Hell and Japhrimel is unable to rescue her and it is just so angsty and intense, whew!
5. J.D Robb's IN DEATH series
Eve Dallas is a badass homicide detective in the year 2059, and there are like a gazillion books in this series and I NEVER get tired of reading about Eve and each murder case and her relationship with her hot, hot, so sinfully sexy hot husband Roarke, who is also devastatingly wealthy, ha. But Eve hates all the glitz and snobbery of the rich world and is a no-nonsense, tough as nails yet of course HOT detective, and there are utterly priceless recurring characters such as her subordinate Peabody whom she is training to be a detective, and Peabody's such a wonderful female character; there is Summerset the stuffy, impossible butler of Roarke's who Eve delights in trading icy insults and rude comments with, and then there is the rest of the gang in her dept and all of them are great, quirky, endearing characters. I love the danger, the suspense, the emotional angst of both Eve's and Roarke's tragic childhoods and rough lives early on, love the hot steamy sexing between Eve and Roarke and their amazing, strong bond to each other.
And that is part one, ha! Yep, I gots more! Immediately following this post, ta da!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-25 04:57 am (UTC)6. Stepanie Meyer's vampire series (teen/young adult genre)
This is a very good series I bought for my teenage daughter but ended up enjoying myself! The series contains TWILIGHT, NEW MOON, and ECLIPSE.
7. Kevin Brooks, another teen/young adult writer
My fave books of his are BEING and the fantastic THE ROAD OF THE DEAD. Just an excellent, excellent writer.
8. Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider series
Again, this is a juvenile/teen series but very engrossing (and the first novel has been made into a film), all about young, reluctant British spy Alex Rider and his precocious James-Bondish adventures. Tons of bad guys, cool inventions, nefarious plots, world dominion and only Alex can save the world, etc. ha!
9. Paradise Lost by Milton
Truly my favorite 'classic' work of all time. Just gorgeous, gorgeous.
10. poetry-anything by Rumi, 12th C Sufi mystic and boy such gorgeous, sensous imagery and philosophy and spirituality. I have so many Rumi books, ha, ditto Pablo Neruda's love poems. Great stuff!
And geez, I could go on and on and ON...I have at least 1,000 books in my tiny hovel and absolutely NO PLACE to put them all, but I just love books so so much and can't prevent myself from collecting more almost daily from thrift stores, secondhand stores, discount online stores, just wherever, ha.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-25 09:45 pm (UTC)Maybe GH wanted to explore that and that's why she wrote it. It's not one I'll read again though. I like happy endings.
I haven't read any of the books you've mentioned, but the Merry Hall one sounds good. I'll have to make a note of it. The Vatta's War series sounds intriguing too. I'll look out for the first book to see what it's like.
Thanks for the recs!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-25 09:47 pm (UTC)The Joyce Stranger 'Kym' book sounds like a definite must. :oD
I'll definitely keep an eye out for the rest as well. Some of them sound really good - especially the historical ones.
Thanks, Leesa!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-25 09:50 pm (UTC)I haven't tried any of the rest though. Anna Nicholas sounds a lot like Gerald Durrell. I've read most of his books and enjoyed them all.
Are the Peter Gethers ones fiction or non-fiction? They sound interesting either way. :oD
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-25 09:57 pm (UTC)Wow, tons of recs. I can tell you like reading. :oD I'll try to get hold of some of these to see what they're like. Thanks!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-25 10:13 pm (UTC)Anna Nicholas is funny and smart, but not like Durrell. Her book is about moving to live abroad more than anything, though she does talk to a toad and eventually get a cat (well, her young son does - guess who looks after it?!). She's in the same genre as A Year in Provence, but I have no idea if she is better or not as I haven't read that (yet, it's on order)!!!
If you're not sure, you could try and get a library copy of some of the above perhaps? If you can get to the library without too much bother, that is...it's a pain for me to get there atm myself, so fully understand is that's the case for you too.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-25 10:22 pm (UTC)Yeah, just a bit. GRRR! I'll buy second hand copies online and see what they're like. If I don't like them, I'll give them away. For time and hassle, it works out far easier!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-25 11:00 pm (UTC)The Color Purple by Alice Walker - I'm sure you've heard of it but if you haven't read it you really should. Sad and yet uplifting too (and the film was good too, very faithful to the book unlike some Hollywood films).
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - another fab story. I loved this (and the film version too). The story of the children interweaves with the white versus black courtroom drama excellently, building the tension nicely for the events at the end.
Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger - not to everyone's taste, but this was one book that I was delighted to find on my American Studies list (for my BA in English Lit/Drama) several years back (though not as far back as it could be, seeing as I started University at 24!). I had read it as a teenager and thoroughly enjoyed re-reading it. I can't explain why - there's something that just works so well in this book for me.
And these are NOT a books but I must rec them.
The Day the Earth Caught Fire (not the other one about the Earth standing still - everyone who likes classic sci-fi films goes on about that one, but it's not a patch on this one I'm reccing if you ask me!!!) - This is b/w and available quite cheaply from amazon (just less than £7). I love the way the drama unfolds, and the ending...oh the ending!!! I haven't seen it for years, but I've ordered my DVD and truly hope it's every bit as good as I remember it being. This is my fav b/w movie of all time, with To Kill a Mocking Bird coming in second!
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes - this is a spoof of all those 'Attack of the (insert monster)' 50's/60's B movies - and it's a musical as well!! Not to everyone's humour, but if you like films that are sooo bad they are good (especially when, in this case, they are meant to be sooo bad!) then you'll love it. If not, leave it alone. Available from amazon, but I'd go for a second hand copy. Check Ebay as well.
And finally, that classic, that 'worst ever sci-fi film ever made', that film that is sooo bad it is truly funny, the one, the only...
dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah...
Plan 9 from Outer Space (cue overly dramatic music!!)
This one cracks me up too - from the scenes that flip from day to night and back again all in a space of supposedly minutes on screen, to the black cloth backdrop to depict a dark night behind the actors...that has a wrinkle in it in one scene and so you know it's a black backcloth...to the spaceship (snort, singger, giggle)...this is sooooooo very badly produced (though the actual plot idea isn't so terrible, by the standard of its time) that it is a must for every sci-fi fan to see and marvel at (and hopefully collapse in a heap over). Only available second hand from amazon, but that means cheap, cheap, cheap!
Well, that's all from rambly old me!!! Lots to think about and maybe buy!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-26 12:39 am (UTC)For Sci-Fi, anything by Joe Haldeman. I never read his stuff until I met him -- sort of, or at least sat mesmerized while he chatted with Gene Wolfe -- at a World Fantasy Con in Wisconsin. Great insight into the human psyche, and an excellent "take" on science. He also teaches writing at MIT ... but he says it's hard to find an MIT student who really has a knack for writing. They're just too scientific!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-26 10:01 am (UTC)For light reading, then Alan Dean Foster Spellsinger books are brill.
My favourite character being Mudge. A large talking otter :) who is very good at getting into trouble.
I have nearly finished a book called 'Orcs' by Stan Nicholls. Both me and my hubby have a hard job putting it down once we started reading it. Actually, I think that is the fastest he has read any book.
It is about a warband of orcs and they decide to collect 5 stars, and end up with everyone after them.
There are many other books I could recommend, but if I started I would be typing here all day eg Anne McCaffrey,Tracey Canavan, Douglas Adams, some of the Stargate Atlantis books to name but a few. There are also authors already mentioned here, like Terry Pratchett (Big cheer for Granny Weatherwax, Death, the luggage), Georgette Heyer, David Eddings.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-26 03:06 pm (UTC)Lovely! Our house swarms with books. Your recs also feature many of my favourites, except Isaac Asimov, whom I don't care for, & Doreen Tovey, whom I've never read. So here are some of my favourite authors:
Marjorie Allingham
Like you, I love Dorothy L Sayers, but I think I prefer Marjorie Alligham, especially her earlier books like 'Look to the Lady', and 'Sweet Danger'. Her writing is very atmospheric, and I love the contrast between Campion and Lugg. Perhaps this is a good place to mention, BTW, that I haven't had a TV for 25 years, so I am definitely thinking of the books here & below, not the TV versions which I've never seen.
For more modern crime fiction, I'd have to go with Ian Rankin - a bit bleak, but very vivid writing and good plots - and Reginald Hill, whose characters are fascinating, and whose use of language is stunning.
Susan Howatch is a writer who fascinates me. Her romantic novels are perfectly OK, but it's her Church of England-based ones that hold me riveted to my seat - titles such 'Absolute Truths' & 'Glamorous Powers'. It's hard to categorise these; they're not romances, not thrillers, not crime, but they have some of all of these genres encapsulated in prose that just grabs me by the throat & won't let go.
For historical fiction, Philippa Gregory is very good, and Cynthia Harrod-Eagles is excellent and also prolific - her Morland series, which starts with the family in the late 15th century and so far has followed them through to the First World War, is now on volume 28 (or thereabouts) & still going strong.
Out of print, unfortunately, but still highly recommended is Catherine Fox. 'Angels and Men' and 'The Benefits of Passion' are beautifully written with a terrific blend of plausible angst and reconciliation.
Stephen King for horror - no-one can beat him. I'm not so keen on his more recent writing, but 'Salem's Lot' was the only book my father ever stopped me reading as a child, & when I finally got round to it in my early twenties, I could see why. Even reading it while sunbathing in my own back garden, I was petrified! And 'It' is just amazing.
Jane Austen is hard to beat among the classic authors, but I must confess I love a wallow in Wilkie Collins from time-to-time - 19th century English literature in it's most representative form, to my mind!
As for children's books, which I never stopped reading, I'm a sucker for EBD too, despite cringing frequently - what is it about those that hooks you, I wonder? But for great fantasy, you should try Susan Cooper's 'The Dark is Rising' sequence, which is a lovely blend of mythology and the modern.
I've hardly touched the surface here - these are the ones that spring to mind without looking.
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Date: 2008-03-26 05:47 pm (UTC)I haven't heard of Joe Halderman at all. I'll have to check his books out.
Thanks for the recs!
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Date: 2008-03-26 05:53 pm (UTC)I'm sure I've read an Alan Dean Foster book, but it wasn't a Spellsinger one. I can't remember what it was though! That'll annoy me. :oD
Douglas Adams I've read, and I have a few of his books. He's good. I think I've also read the novelization of the pilot of SGA. I haven't tried any of the others (yet!) though.
I'm pretty sure my Mum has a few Anne McCaffrey books. At this rate, she'll be complaining that I'm pinching her library!
Thanks for the recs! :oD
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Date: 2008-03-26 06:07 pm (UTC)I also really enjoyed the TV series of Campion. I saw that first (it was Look to the Lady), and loved it that much I read the book that night. I know it usually happens that if you see the movie/TV show first, you hate the book, but I didn't. I think the adaptations (that one, certainly) are fairly faithful to the books, so going from one to the other was easy. And yes, Campion and Lugg are fantastic! Have you read Traitor's Purse? That's another really good Campion book.
My Mum has a huge stack of Reginald Hill books, and I'm pretty sure she has a few Ian Rankin ones too. I'll have to borrow a few. :oD
I don't read horror at all actually. Absolutely not my style - gives me nightmares, and sticks in my mind far too much. Even watching it is dodgy.
I've heard of Susan Howatch but not read anything of hers. The Church ones definitely sound good.
As for the historical fiction, I haven't heard of them at all. I suspect my Mum would like the Cynthia Harrod-Eagles series too. Heck, she might have read it and just not mentioned it! She does read *a lot*.
I'll keep an eye out for Susan Cooper's "The Dark is Rising" series. That sounds very intriguing.
I read somewhere that EBD has a 'cosy sentimentality' in her books. To me, it's like settling down by the fire with a hot drink and hot buttered toast. Like comfort food, they're a 'comfort read'. Btw, have you read "Chudleigh Hold" of hers? It's really good. A very family-based book, with adventure and an old house thrown in.
Thanks for all the recs!
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Date: 2008-03-26 08:08 pm (UTC)I'd definitely suggest you try the Reginald Hill, at least - I suspect from your own writing style that you would appreciate his use of language. The plots are good too!
I completely forgot to say earlier that I adore Georgette Heyer. Only the Regency ones, thoough (the detective ones don't work for me at all). I have read them so many times, I must know some of them nearly off by heart. In fact, did you catch "Arabella" on Book at Bedtime on Radio 4 recently? (see - no TV, so of course I am a R4 addict). I was listening again at work while doing some mind-numbingly dull filing, & kept noticing the lines that had been edited out.
As for EBD - well, you say I read somewhere that EBD has a 'cosy sentimentality' in her books. To me, it's like settling down by the fire with a hot drink and hot buttered toast., but you shock me - surely you mean frothy hot chocolate, with a mountain of whipped cream on the top? and some of what's-her-name's delicious cakes, also stuffed full of cream (they should all have been the size of houses, the amount they apparently ate). If I consumed that much, I would be limp, grey and to all appearance, dead, if a nice doctor didn't come along quickly to save me.
(Disappearing now with a bell-like peal of laughter...)