This is a bit of an aide memoire for me and a solicitation for suggestions. Are there any books I should be reading? Fiction preferred this week, I think. Here are some suggestions I’ve received recently:
I’m a little ashamed to admit that I’ve never read anything by the brilliant Terry Pratchett. I confessed to Sue Bailey some months ago that I just didn’t know where to start.
She suggested these four volumes as a sound introduction:
Guards, Guards
Men at Arms
Feet of Clay
Jingo
On another tack someone else has suggested I might like the writing of Philip Kerr. Specifically, the Berlin Noir Trilogy starting with March Violets. Also, The One from the Other.
Other suggestions:
P.D. James, The Murder Room.
Anything else?
IMHO The Murder Room is really not up to P D James’ usual standard. It felt really thin and anaemic. Death in Holy Orders is my favourite of her more recent stuff, though I could happily do without the Adam-Dalgliesh’s-love-life sub-plot she’s had going on for the last too-many books.
I don’t know Baroness James’s work all that well (bar ‘The Children of Men’). But The Murder Room has been suggested predominantly for it’s coverage of the Brighton Trunk Murder.
I finished Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch a while back and have just got the follow up Red Seas under Red Skies, and I’m loving it. Witty Sci Fantasy, great imagination, and for a change, no Quest…just charming Gentleman Bastards.
Not sure what genres you usually read? Are you looking to move away to something quite different, or just new authors in your fave genres?
A couple of my personal favourites
– Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas. A rip-roaring page turner.
– The Hitler Diaries by Robert Harris. Although this is non-fiction it is written in a very engaging style.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Selling-Hitler-Story-Diaries/dp/0571147267/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238531553&sr=8-1