Read Any Good Books Lately?

[DougF]

The Last Open Road and the follow ups that Burt Levy has written inviting us into his mind's story of Buddy Palumbo and friends.

 

[Trevor Triumph]

I've been reading a series of books by J. A. Jance. She wrties murder mysteries, one series is aobut a detective in Seattle and the other is about a female sheriff in Cochise County Arizona. The Tony Hillerman mysteries are enjoyable as well. Some critics say they spend more time on background of characters than on the murder plot. It seems as if the chracters have become friends- real people.
The Jance books have the added benefit of reflecting the affect of alcoholism on the charcters- my current area of employemnt.
Then ther are the professional things- sme are enlighteni.ng

 

[tony barnhill]

Then there's always Clive Cussler for long plane rides.

 

[Guest]

I have a longish commute and read quickly - usually pulp fiction, because 6am is too early for anything requiring cogitation or comprehension.

I've taken to buying paperbacks at GCT based on the number of pages in them - deducting pages for the ones printed doublespaced of course. Cussler doesn't last me more than a day. I can get three out of your average Clancy though...

 

[aerog]

I can get three out of your average Clancy though...

Yeah - but I've already read all of them 3-4 times! On my last trip I bought "A Bridge Too Far", it kept my attention.

I've got a couple of books on Rommel I might dig into next.

 

[Guest]

So have I.
It helps keep the cost of the library in the living room down though...

 

[DrEntropy]

I'm disallowed entry to "McBooks" places (Borders, B&N, etc.) but found that the "club" joints like Costco & Sam's Club have BINS of stuff. Herself keeps me on a leash even there now. I found a ton of good ones ONE TIME...


...I hate that leash... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif

 

[Bugeye58]

I'm disallowed entry to "McBooks" places (Borders, B&N, etc.) but found that the "club" joints like Costco & Sam's Club have BINS of stuff. Herself keeps me on a leash even there now. I found a ton of good ones ONE TIME...


...I hate that leash... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/devilgrin.gif

Doc, see if the local library runs book sales. Mine has one every month, and I've picked up some veritable treasures over the years. Such as a complete set of Charles Darwin, circa 1897, for a buck! These were from the collection of a Doctor, and by their condition, I suspect they were only used as shelf fillers to impress his patients. I don't think they had ever been opened. Not exactly light reading, but I couldn't pass them up.
Normally, my library charges $1.00 per hardcover, and a quarter for a paperback. Lots of unread book club editions, etc.
Jeff

 

[Brooklands]

Carl Hiassen is always a "Hoot" to read as well.

 

[Tinster]

Currently reading "The Afghan" by Frederick Forsyth

He spins a good yarn.

tinster

 

[JamesWilson]

I like detective/sluething stories and have devoured the classics, Hammett/Chandler/Christie/Conan Doyle/etc. and most contemporary American crime authors.

But there's also a little light reading in the crime fiction genre to broaden horizons:

Stuart Kaminski- Russian detective series- set in Moscow, excellent. Kaminski writes a couple of other book series (Toby Peters & Lew Francesca) and was a script-writer for the Rockford Files and now does some for the CSI series.

Martin Cruz Smith- a variety of things but I like best his Arkady detective books, set in Russia.

Henning Mankell: A Swedish detective (Kurt Wallender) series.

Karin Fossum: the Inspector Sejer series set in Norway.

Arnaldur Indriðason: Icelandic detecting.

Olen Steinhauer- detective stories set in late 40s/early 50s Eastern Europe.

James McClure- Krammer & Zondi detectives- hard to find now, set in apartheid era South Africa.

Alexander McCall Smith: The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, set in Malawi with a woman running said agency- a egntle kind of detecting.

Sujata Massey- Woman amateur detective series set in Japan.

Barbara Nadel- British writes that lives(ed?) in Turkey, series with Inspector Ikmen, kind of a turkish Poirot.


A few surreal:

Michael Chabon: The Yiddish Policeman's Union- think 1940's Dashiell Hammett/Raymond Chandler tranported to a Jewish refuge colony established in the Alaskan panhandle after WW2 instead of Israel; which is about to revert to its former owners and the jews expelled. And there's a murder (more than one) in it too.

Brocke Clarke: An Arsonist's Guide to writers' Homes in New England. My current reading.


And, of course, Scottish detectives:

Ian Rankin: the Rebus series set in Edinburgh, has been utrned into a TV series.

MC Beaton: Hamish MacBeth- set in the Highlands, was also turned into a TV series with Robert Carlyle in the lead.

Quintin Jardine: writes two series of books one with detective (Skinner) set in Edinburgh and another a series with an amateur detective set in Glasgow and ex-pat Brit. Spain.

Val MacDermid: I've not read any of hers, yet, despite having two or three sitting on my bookshelves (along with a good 20 or 30 others) that I keep meaning to read but haven't quite managed... yet.

William McIlvanney: A detective series set in Glasgow. A little old now, and harder to find...



So much to read, so little time.... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/nopity.gif

and then there's the LBC I should be working on.... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/hammer.gif /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/hammer.gif /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wall.gif

 

[terriphill]

I am ashamed to admit what I read after ya'lls extensive and impressive list of important tomes. I so seldom get to curl up anymore with a good book. My favorite books are what I call "bubble gum for the brain" ..Stephen King, John Grisham, and quick mysteries like Agatha Christie and "The Cat who saw red"

 

[Mickey Richaud]

Terri -

If you like Grisham and company, get hold of anything by James Lee Burke. Great stuff!

 

[William]

Just bought (for five bucks!!!) The Beatles by Bob Spitz. Have not read it yet-am still into The Wheel Of Darkness.

James Wilson-you might want to check out the works of Peter Lovesey. He's a British author, and has written tons of crime fiction. Highly recommended are the Peter Diamond series.

-Wm.

 

[Banjo]

After years of delay, I'm working my way through the "Lord Of The Rings" trilogy. just starting on the second book. I've yet to see the movies. I wanna read the books first.
Also crrently reading the second Harry Potter to my daughter. She loves 'em. And I actually find them a fun read.
I'm always reading the odd verse from my favorites, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Robert W. Srevice.
And I'm slowly plugging away at "Toly's Ghost". the most recent In the "Last Open Road" series by B.S. Levy.
At Watkins this year Burt Levy told me that there is another book on the way. Slated for Sept. of 08 Titled "The 250 MPH Steamroller" that puts Buddy into the 60s and the ford GT40 effort.
It promises to be good.
He writes a good story.
Here's me and B.S. at Watkins

 

[William]

I've met Burt Levy a coupla times at Road America. Pretty funny guy!

I've not yet gotten Toly's Ghost.

 

[Mickey Richaud]

Just bought (for five bucks!!!) The Beatles by Bob Spitz. -Wm.

Great book! Read it a while back (but I paid a lot more!).

 

[longbridgehealey]

Hey Mickey, I just got four hardcover James Lee Burke on E Bay for 9.95!!!!

 

[Mickey Richaud]

That's a score, indeed!

Robichaux's the MAN!