barky_shark ([info]barky_shark) wrote,
@ 2005-11-23 10:13:00
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Current mood: nerdy
Current music:Huey Lewis & the News

I wanna new book
One that don't make me read too much, or get bored with the story.
One that makes me happy, wanting to read more...etc., etc.

Any recommendations on good books to read? As most of you know, I don't like boring books with huge, long descriptions of things. (who does?). I've just finished reading The Da Vinci Code, it was pretty good (a little too predictable, but the story kept moving and was interesting). I'm going to re-try reading The Poisonwood Bible, but after that I don't have much in the house that I am interested in reading/haven't already read. Just to give you an idea, some of the books I have enjoyed in the past are: Harry Potter series, Airframe (Crichton), Microserfs, The Firm, Agatha Christie books.

Books I tried reading and hated/couldn't finish: The Hobbit (and I know LOTR is different, but I have no interest in reading the books since I've seen the movies), Dune.

What are your favorite books and why? And would you recommend any of them for me?


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You've Come To The Right Place
[info]turtle_head
2005-11-23 06:27 pm UTC (link)
Man, I could recommend books forever. Have I mentioned that I spent so much at Chapters since its inception that I qualified for lifetime membership in their points club? Yesterday I was doing some Christmas shopping there and I whipped out my points card with the little "lifetime member" sticker on it and I was so proud. When I die I want that card buried with me.

Anyway. Let me just wander over to my library and pull out a few titles that are light and fast moving, but also delightful reads.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith: This is the first in a series about Precious Ramotswe, a detective in Botswana. She kicks all kind of ass and solves crimes in a gentle, common-sense kind of way. The crime solving is cute but it's almost secondary to getting to know the lead character and how much she rocks. It's also almost like taking a little African vacation without the long plane ride. It's a super easy read and just delightful. If you like it, there's like, five other books in the series, plus the author has two or three other series featuring other detectives.

High Fidelity, by Nick Hornby: I find Hornby to be up and down but this book, his first, is a charmer. If you've seen the movie (starring John Cusak), you might not need to read the book, as much of the movie dialogue was taking directly from the text. Still, it's a cute story about a guy who breaks up with his girlfriend, then goes on a journey to talk to all his exes to see what's wrong with him.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, by Anita Koos: A well-loved classic. Set in the flapper era, it's the story of a gal who is so blonde and ditzy, she doesn't realise half of what is going on around her -- but because of that, she manages to get what she wants all the time! Totally hilarious and an easy read. There's a cute sequel too, But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes.

The Girls' Guide To Hunting and Fishing, by Melissa Bank: This is a book of short stories -- I don't usually like short stories but these all feature the same character, so I enjoyed it. It's about the usual looking-for-love stuff but the lead character is witty and never self-pitying. This book is older -- maybe 5 or 6 years -- but the author just released a new novel, which I hear is great, so this book is getting buzz again.

Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden: I think you'd love this one if you haven't already read it. The movie version is coming out next month so now is the time to read the book -- it's a serious page turner, and you won't be able to put it down. It's about the machinations and back-stabbing at a Geisha house -- juicy and a fast, fun read.

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime, by Mark Haddon: This one is a little less light, but it's an easy and fun read. It's about a boy with Asperger's syndrome -- a kind of mild autism -- who decides to solve the mystery of who killed his neighbour's dog, and in doing so, finds out more than he bargained for about his own life. It's told first-person from the boy's point of view and his voice is so moving and funny and delightful it's amazing to think that an adult wrote the book. I hear they are making this one into a movie too.

All Families Are Psychotic, by Douglas Coupland: I love Coupland and I've read all his books. Although all have humour in them and are easy reads, some are more serious than others. This one is nice and light -- about a crazy family getting together because one of them, the daughter, is about to go on a space shuttle flight. Another great light one is Shampoo Planet, about a young guy with no ambition whose life runs into trouble when the gal he had a fling with in Paris shows up in his hometown.

That's all that comes to mind for now, but I'm sure I'll think of more later. Also I should add that these are all books that I've read and own, but I have my own "wish list" containing, oh, at least 50 books, so if you are looking for more to investigate, I could recommend a few that I haven't actually read yet.

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Re: You've Come To The Right Place
[info]barky_shark
2005-11-23 08:30 pm UTC (link)
Yeah! I knew you would come to the rescue!

I've added two of the books you suggested to my xmas list (The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and All Families are Psychotic). Thanks for all the great suggestions.

I have to say, if the movie for Memoirs of a Geisha wasn't coming out I'd probably add that to my list, too. But I can't seem to get motivated to read a book when I've already seen the movie. (I am assuming I wouldn't be able to read the book before I go see the movie.) The movie does look really good, though. I have no problem reading a book before seeing the movie, but since I'm looking for books for my xmas list...

Tell me, how much exactly did you have to spend at Chapters/Indigo to get a lifetime membership? I've had one of their cards for a few years, but each year I have to purchase a new one (but I always manage to get the "educational" price due to where I work.)

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Re: You've Come To The Right Place
[info]turtle_head
2005-11-24 12:19 am UTC (link)
I'm not really sure how much I spent there -- whether it was the total amount, or whether it was because I spent a certain amount in one calendar year. I didn't even know lifetime status existed until the little sticker arrived in my mailbox!

The sticker came after I'd had the card for just two years. I would estimate in those two years I spent probably around $1000 at Chapters -- mostly online, so that encomapasses a lot of CDs and DVDs I bought in addition to books. I've never met anyone else who has even heard of this "lifetime" thing, but just yesterday when I was there, the guy next to me was buying a magazine and the checkout gal asked if he had a card. He didn't have his on him, but he asked why it would matter since the discount only applies to books, and she said that his spending is still tracked for potential lifetime status. So apparently, you can still get it and it is a real thing. I wonder if you ask about it at the store, if they will know what the level is. I just looked online and there was no mention of it.

Ironically, after I qualified, Amazon.ca opened, and now I shop there much more often. I find they have more selection, and also a wider range of products, plus they have access to the American database of comments, so I am more likely to find a review for a book I'm interested in if I look on Amazon. I really only use my Chapters card when shopping in person. Although, I just read that the card only gives you a 5% discount online, as opposed to a 10% in person...who knew?

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Re: You've Come To The Right Place
[info]barky_shark
2005-11-24 04:22 pm UTC (link)
Wow, that's a lot of spending! I guess I'll never be a holder of the coveted lifetime membership.

I knew that the discounts online were different from in-store. I guess it's good incentive to get you in the store and you'll probably purchase more than the one item you were orignally going to buy.

I wanted to tell you that I am going to use your list to purchase books for family members, too. I think books are great gifts and it's sometimes hard to find a good one without reading it yourself, so I trust your recommendations. Thanks again.

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Re: You've Come To The Right Place
[info]turtle_head
2005-11-24 07:53 pm UTC (link)
I left off several of my recent favourites as they are a little denser and/or depressing, so I didn't think you'd enjoy them. But if you'd like some gift suggestions for specific people, I'm always happy to raid the library!

I also love giving books as gifts, which I guess is one reason why I spend so much at Chapters. Already this year all four of my nieces and nephews are getting books, as are both of my own kids. I usually get a book for [info]sirmonkeypants as well. It's fun!

(BTW -- to make someone's user ID a link -- use the lj user tag. It looks like this:

<lj user="sirmonkeypants">

Hope that showed up properly.)

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Re: You've Come To The Right Place
[info]barky_shark
2005-11-25 04:23 pm UTC (link)
Kewl, thanks [info]turtle_head! (did that work?)

Sure, give me a list of your top three all-time favorite books that might be good for gift-giving.

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Deja Dead - Kathy Reichs
[info]fame_throwa
2005-11-25 03:19 am UTC (link)
[info]turtle_head always has fabulous suggestions. One book I always like to recommend is Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs. It's not nearly as well written as [info]turtle_head's suggestions, but it's one of those "I can't put it done!" reads. (This comment coming from someone who pretty much never reads or rarely finishes a book she starts. :) )

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Re: Deja Dead - Kathy Reichs
[info]barky_shark
2005-11-25 04:22 pm UTC (link)
Thanks for the book suggestion, it sounds good and I'm adding it to my xmas list, too.

I think we are the same type of reader. I don't read very often (although since I've had more time to myself lately I've found that I'm reading a bit more) and when a book doesn't catch my interest right away I usually won't ever finish it.

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A good, fast read
[info]smokingtoaster
2005-11-26 08:19 pm UTC (link)
One of the thriller writers I like is Greg Iles. I couldn't put down the first book of his I ever read: Mortal Fear. You can probably find it at the library . If you like it, he's got plenty more. He also wrote 24 Hours, which they turned into a movie called "Trapped" (Charlize Theron, Kevin Bacon). I think it bombed, but the book is pretty good.

Two books I've really enjoyed in recent times (I don't read much, either) are "The Red Tent" and "Galileo's Daughter", but they're not thrillers.

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