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Summer Reading Suggestions

milardj on 2005-05-13T15:38:52

Some books that I've read or reread recently that deserve a larger audience (all links to amazon.com):

  • White Teeth by Zadie Smith: a major talent. She was in her early to mid twenties when she wrote this book and it just blew me away.
  • The Brother's K|The River Why? - by David James Duncan: these are older books but I've reread each one at least 3 times. Don't be put off by the length of Brother's K
  • Malazan Book of the Fallen (Series) by Steven Erikson - it's hard to to take away from George Martin but *this* might be the best fantasy series around. Take the money you were going to spend on Jordan's next piece of crap and buy Gardens of the Moon instead. You might find it tough going at first but if you stick with it you will be well rewarded.
  • Witch Blood by Wil Shetterly - this is an oldie (mid 80's) but well worth looking for. With less pages then a typical Robert Jordan prologue it has more action the Jordan has written since volume 4 or 5 of the Great Wheel. Find this book!
  • The Guards|The Killing of the Tinkers by Ken Bruen - short on plot but miles upon miles of style, atmosphere, and characterization. If Chandler and Lehane had an Irish love child that was beaten up by Jim Thompson - his name would be Ken Bruen (no offence pudge - I realize that Chandler and Lehane are both men but I wasn't suggesting marriage - just speaking metaphorically)
  • The Club Dumas (or anything he has written) by Arturo Perez-Reverte - the Club Dumas was made into a movie starring Johnny Depp but don't let that stop you. I'm usually slightly disappointed by Reverte's endings but the rest of the book always makes up for it.

    • Better than The Club Dumas IMHO

    mir on 2005-05-13T16:10:13

    I'm usually slightly disappointed by Reverte's endings but the rest of the book always makes up for it.

    I hate Perez Reverte. His books are always very well written, with a very elaborate and seemingly clever plot, that inevitably falls flat in the end. He is really THE master of lame endings.

    That said The Nautical Charts is a bit better, mostly because the plot is not as important as in his other books, and I just liked the main character.